Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Planes of Distortion (REMAKE)
by TheLastRanger
Summary: A dark cloud looms over the Cosmic Continent. A cloud of manipulation, violence, and war: all seemingly leading to a catastrophic end to freedom on Planet Gaia. Finding himself in the middle of this chaos; a young human turned riolu must find his way to survive this cut-throat land with whatever ally he can find, and also uncover the tragic past of the human race.
1. Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Day

((AN) ol, I think I've perfected this chapter, so, I think we're good now XD

Let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Day**_

 **Matt**

My body tingled in all the wrong places, my mind a haze of neon color and an awful steady beeping. I attempted to make sense of anything, but when I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but azure fog, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, as I began to shiver, my breathing grew stunted. Through fighting the feeling, I could hear whispers of many distant voices; some familiar, others completely unknown. I closed my eyes, in some kind of attempt to make the voices out.

" _Go! The way is open!"_ An aged woman's voice called to me. " _There's no time! You have to move!"_

" _B-but what about you?"_ My own light voice simply responded, on the verge of tears by the sound of it...why was I crying…?

" _We'll be alright, Matthew,"_ her voice was soft and caring. " _Go, sweetie_. _She'll be watching you, you'll be alright...we'll stay behind and take care of James. Go, my shining stars. I'll always love you two. Goodbye, Matthew and Lucia. And good luck!"_

* * *

My eyes burst open, my lungs taking in as much oxygen as physically possible, as my body was plunged into a sitting position. As my breathing regulated, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. Seemed like I was in a forest of tall pines, an afternoon sunlight shimmering through the late winter canopy. Felt like I was sitting in a patch of cold grass.

"James? Lucia?" I looked around myself, searching or any sign of my friend...acquaintance? Strange...who was James? I bought a hand to my chin, rubbing it in recollection. My mind drew a blank.

I felt a cool sweat form on my brow, panic starting to take over again. I was quick to my feet, anxiously searching my surroundings.

"J-James?! Lucia?!" I desperately called out, expecting them to respond; but all I heard was the trees dancing in the cold wind. My body went into full fight or flight mode. I raised my hand into my face, I noticed something extremely wrong; my hand had been replaced by a blue paw, three fingers, and no thumb. My eyes slowly followed my arm; which was covered by the same course set of fur. Looking down at my feet, I physically recoiled at what has become of them, pitch black, and stubby, my ankles pointing backward uncomfortably. What happened to me?!

I decided to run, from what though, I had no idea. I swerved in and out between trees, frequently tripping over my feet. I could already feel tears stinging my eyes. Through my distracted sprint, I tripped over myself, directly into a small river. I peered at my own reflection, my blue and black fur, pointy ears, and short muzzle. I was no longer human...I was a riolu.

After thoroughly soaking my face in the water, for the best part of ten minutes, I accepted my new form, only somewhat.

Standing up, I noticed a path. Following it, I came to a fork in the road, a sign in the center. North was Felicity Creek, West was the Howling Gorge, and south was Dead Coast. Before I had a chance to decide, a light humming caught my attention. Skipping down the path from the Gorge, was an eevee, her face that of bliss. She slowed down at the sign, stopping to check its directions, an occasional and curious glance shot my way. I tried to pay no attention to her, but she turned her head to me.

"Um...'ello there…?" She asked lightly with a strange accent, her mousy voice suggesting she was young. I was about to question the fact she could talk but decided it wasn't too far-fetched, given the circumstances.

"Uh...yes? What do you need?" I muttered quietly.

"You're taller than me, which way is Felicity Creek?" She eyed up the sign, trying to see the arrows.

"That way…" I pointed northward, internally noting the ridiculousness of this situation. "Why, are you headed there?"

She nodded.

"Mmhmm, I've always wanted to go there! They say it's the most beautiful town in the Eastern Reach!" Her smile widened, as she rummaged through a pouch on her side, pulling out a worn maroon book and skimming through the pages. I glanced at the title, making out 'Legends of the Land' written crudely on the front cover. Guess that happens when you have no thumbs. "And I'll be buggered if I don't go there!"

"B-buggered...?" What was she speaking about...? Her dialect was odd...was it because she was a pokemon or...?

But the eccentric eevee paid little attention to my question, as she was too busy staring down at a map that was attached to her book via a paperclip, while oddly squinting.

"Aha! My map says there's a cave this way with some bloody beautiful paintings on the walls on this road!" She squeaked in delight. "Oh, where are my manners? Where are you headed Mr. Riolu?"

I froze for a second. Where was I going? I had just been shoved into a foreign body, with no memory apart from my name, and the names of this 'James' and 'Lucia' characters. I had absolutely nowhere to go. Licking my lips, I responded:

"F-Felicity Creek too, I'm...looking for friends, they weren't at the Dead Coast." I lied, not even knowing what that location even was.

"You were at the Dead Coast?" She tilted her head, her big brown eyes glistening with excitement. "Did you see the Red Eyed Cyclops?"

"No...unfortunately…?" The same childlike excitement left her big brown eyes.

"Hmm, that's a shame...anyway, we should get going! Felicity Creek is still quite a walk away!"

"We?" I questioned her.

"Of course! We are both heading there, might as well go together." She chirped.

"Erm, ok…" I mumbled, taken aback by how trusting she was, especially to a complete stranger she had never met before...

"Smashing!" She held her left paw out to me. After a second of hesitation, I knelt, taking her soft paw in mine and shaking it lightly. "My name is Hazel by the way! Nice to meet you!" A big grin appeared on her face as she enthusiastically shook my hand.

"Um...I-I'm Matt, or Matthew, If you like. Nice to meet you too Hazel…" I felt the corners of my mouth raise into a subtle grin. "We should get moving, huh? Long walk ahead of us…"

"Alright Matt, let's go!" she looked at her now soaked hand, looking to me afterward. " By the way, you're soaked, what 'appened?" She wafted her hand about, trying to dry it.

"I fell in the river when drinking…" I chuckled, hiding my lie. I had to admit, lying to this girl wasn't very pleasant, but I could imagine what her reaction to saying 'I'm a human, just to let you know.' Not the most normal thing to tell a stranger. She chuckled back at me, placing her book in her bag and pulling out a towel, giggling the entire time, handing it over to me. "T-thank you…" She displayed good patience, waiting for a complete stranger to dry himself. Odd girl.

After I was thoroughly dried, we began to move up the north path, at a decent pace.

"So Matt, I'm curious, why do you have a human name? Those are exceedingly uncommon."

I quickly thought of a lie.

"Oh, I just have. I've just known I've been Matt for as long as I can remember." A statement which wasn't entirely untrue, but still wasn't quite right.

"Hmm, didn't your mum or dad name you it?"

"That's the thing, my memory isn't exactly the best…" I was digging a bigger hole for myself, but as long as I didn't tell her too much, hopefully, I'd be fine.

"You can't remember your own parents?!"

"It's a touchy subject, I'd rather not speak about it…" I weakly told her.

She looked like she wanted to question further, but nodded understandingly. "Aight, that's fine. Anyway, I think we're getting close to the Cave of Beginning, we could make it there by sundown." She said, eagerness returning in her voice.

* * *

Roughly two hours had passed since I've woken in this land, and I was still highly confused, choosing to be a man of few words, or teen, in this case. Hazel didn't seem to mind too much, she just rambled on about all the books in her bag. I think she just liked to speak, which I had no problem with, as long as I had at least some company keeping me sane, I'd listen to her. We eventually made it to a cave entrance, marked with two torches at the opening of the slate wall, the entrance was completely pitch black inside, rather ominous considering the sun had only now begun to set...

"Hold on, I think this might be a Mystery Dungeon," Hazel stated, flipping through the pages quickly, squinting. "Hold this a second." She handed me the book, quickly rummaging through her bag, retrieving a pair of blue ovular glasses, which looked like they had its fair share of use. After holding them at an acceptable angle, she motions me to give her book back. "Yep, says here it's a Dungeon. We better be careful."

"Mystery Dungeon?" I asked, instinctively tilting my head. She gave me a look of sheer confusion from behind her specks.

"How have you made it this far without even knowing what a Mystery Dungeon is?"

"Uhh…" I mumbled, giving her a blank look "C-care to explain? Just as a refresher..."

She looked at me, then to the entrance repeatedly. "It'd be easier to explain if we just enter."

She turned around, entering the cave without even waiting for me. I dropped my shoulders,

glancing at the forest around me, before sighing and following her inside.

* * *

Light poured into my eyes as I...awoke? Strange...what was this place? I quickly examined my surroundings, noticing that I was in the center of a square cave room with no visible entrance to be seen. I quickly scoped out Hazel, who was waiting for me with a chipper grin.

"W-what is this place?"

"It's a Mystery Dungeon!" She chirped. "These places are wonderfully strange natural occurrences, which are never the same each time around." She read off her book once more, adjusting her specs as they balanced on her small muzzle. Licking her paw and flipping a page, she continued her small lecture."However, they are quite dangerous, so be wary. Hopefully, this goes smoother than the last one I was in."

"What happened then?"

She shook her head "Hurt my paw, nothing too bad. Used the last of my Oran berries, though."

I would've loved to ask what an Oran Berry was, but I didn't want to look crazy, even more so than I already did anyway. I simply smiled and nodded.

"We should get moving, no use just standing here, hope you can fight." After placing her glasses and book in her bag, she began to lead through the cold slate cavern, a skip in her step. I needed to jog to catch up with this ball of fluff and energy.

While following her, I just stared into space, trying to recall anything I knew. But my mind drew blank every time. All I really knew: was that my name was Matt, I was a human, and I knew a 'James' and 'Lucia.' Deep down, I was petrified, I desperately wanted to cry. But I couldn't; what use would it have been? None. I just had to find those two. That's all. I had his voice engraved into my mind. Where they could've been was a different question entirely, but no amount of crying could fix this. If I stayed with this Hazel, I needed to tell her eventually. But that was not here nor now. Right now I needed to adjust to my form.

"Matt! Geodude incoming! Feral!" Hazel shouted from up front, getting into a defensive position. I heard a light growl emerge from Hazel, as she began to circle the Geodude, in some attempt to intimidate it. I stood idly by, contemplating how to make my move.

Clenching my fists, I lunged for the attacker, trying to punch him, only to trip over my own feet, landing on my front, those strange tendrils that hung from my temples impairing my vision. Hastily shoving them out of my face, I saw the rocky creature engaging Hazel with swinging arms. The poor fox swiftly avoided his attacks, eventually stumbling and falling over.

She quivered as a fist was headed straight for her. From the floor, I lunged over in the geodude's path, catching the fist in both hands, protecting Hazel. The feral was shocked for a second, before recoiling backward. With a gulp, I charged him, my open palm making contact with his face, sending him flying back into a wall. I stood frozen as I stared at my hand, shocked that such a minor attack did that. I shook my head, concluding that it wasn't the strangest thing that happened today, not by a long shot. Turning around, I knelt down to a shocked Hazel, offering a hand to her.

"You ok?"

Her eyes just examined me up and down, as her mouth was slightly agape. She smiled at me warmly, nodding her head in gratitude. She grabbed my paw, but as soon as I pulled her up, she gave me a brief and thankful hug.

"Thank you, Matt," she eventually composed herself. "anyways, the exit…" she turned to another passage, entering it and heading down. I stood there, just baffled. I shook my head and sighed.

" _It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?"_ I thought to myself, starting to jog after Hazel…

—

 _Elsewhere_ …

 **Lana**

My eyes burst open from my meditation, as I began gasping for air. The moment had come at long last. I examined my surroundings, the cave as colourless and dead as I left it. I immediately scoped out my husband: an umbreon, who paced back and forth, looking as angry as he always did here. He stopped when he noticed me staring at him, his maroon eyes filling with concerned love.

"Martyn, the time has come," I stated, jumping to my feet. "The interloper has arrived. I felt his presence."

"You're absolutely sure it's 'im?"

"I'm sure of it. It's him," I hastily explained, waiting for our captor to appear. "Look, I've got a plan, all I need is time."

"If that bastard shows up, I'm gonna rip his gem out of its socket!"

"Don't do anything hasty, Martyn, he has our daughter...we cannot afford to lose our little-"

The sound of space-time tearing filled the immediate area, as matter began to tear at our shelter's entrance. From the pitch black void at the other end of the portal, a red hexagon lit, staring Martyn and me down. It remained still for a moment, before approaching the portal. Jumping through the rift, was a violet coloured starfish, with a large ruby encased in a golden ring upon its front and with another star gently spinning on its back. It was Lord Starmie.

"Lana Fox." He coldly stated, placing his arms behind its back, to the best of its ability. "How is my... _favourite_...Espeon? I assume you already know why I'm here...It would be...wise...not to procrastinate."

"You bloody bastard! You expect us to-!" Martyn shouted at the seemingly uncaring being.

"M-Martyn, enough!" I ordered him, which seemed to have worked, as he silenced himself.

"Obedient like a dog I see. I'm glad you have your...pet...under control, Lana." Starmie said, purposely agitating my husband. I simply scowled at the monster. "Anyway, I'm getting rather ahead of myself...I require your... vision...dear Lana. I might just...compensate you...if only you obey."

"Like seeing our daughter…" Martyn mumbled.

"Of course. I'm quite merciful you see."

"Y-You call this mercy?!" I demanded, making the Lord actually look at me. "Seven years of imprisonment, only showing us our little Girl twice!"

Starmie was unresponsive for an awkwardly long amount of time, just staring at me, it's gemstone flickering. It eventually began to speak again "And dare I say, is it not mercy that she is well fed, given proper sleeping chambers, and most importantly…" it approached me slowly, getting so close that I could see my own reflection in its ruby, before quietly continuing. "And remains...alive?"

Just the very mention of the thought seems to have triggered Martyn, as he roared at Starmie "Don't you even fucking imply that!"

"And what if I do? Are you going to cry to your wife like the cuckold you are?" Starmie's voice quickly went from an ominous whisper to a horrifying roar.

Martyn just charged at Starmie, a shadow ball charging in his mouth. I was about to intervene, but Starmie was quick to unleash a massive thunderbolt into Martyn. The attack sent him flying into a wall, paralyzing him almost instantaneously.

"M-Martyn!" I gasped as my darling twitched on the floor.

Starmie remained uncaring throughout the entire ordeal, simply turning to me and commenting. "What do you see in him? Is he that good in—?"

I spat at Starmie, directly hitting his large gemstone. I immediately regretted my action, as I took a step back from him, almost trembling. The Lord was frozen for almost a whole minute, before dragging me towards it with telekinesis, my paws scraping against the stone floor, enough to draw blood. Once I was at point-blank range, it slapped me across the face, hard enough to burst my lip.

"I suggest you keep your bodily fluids to yourself and your husband. Lest you want your entire family's ashes to litter my chambers..."

I shivered at the very thought "Y-you wouldn't d-d-dare…"

"You're right. I wouldn't. Given that you...cooperate...of course."

"What do you want…?" I admitted defeat.

"Excellent. I need your sight of course. I'm looking for a certain...interloper you see. And my vision is...nothing...compared to yours. I can't let the prophecy come true you must understand."

"I'll help...but you do know prophecies by nature cannot be stopped," I explained, getting ready to meditate, mumbling under my breath "not that you'd care..."

"Perhaps. Maybe it's part of the prophecy that it...fails."

I scowled at him. "maybe...let's just begin the damn ritual."

My eyes shut tightly, as psychic energy began to flow around the cave, the ruby on my forehead beginning to glow. With much haste, Starmie immediately began to tap into my psychic waves. Our vision became one, as the proverbial inner eye opened for both of us.

We could see everything. The most insignificant of Joltiiks to the mightiest of Wailords. We saw every minute interaction, every major event, we could see everything. The haze of clairvoyance began leading us to a cave, near the center of the land, where a cave stood, surrounded by a large winter forest of pines, where all was still. But then, we felt it. The presence of someone who didn't belong. We saw the purple haze begin to take a blue hue, taking on a foggy appearance, the figure of a mighty creature stood frozen in the center. Tall, terrifying and a long-dead creature. A human being stood proudly in the center of the aura.

It was the Interloper.

The human clutched its head in seeming agony, as it screamed silently, before the young, but still imposing creature fell down, dissipating into the wind, leaving only another creature in its wake: a Riolu.

Starmie suddenly broke the vision without reason, causing both of us to collapse, the Lord falling to a knee, whilst I collapsed completely.

I could feel Martyn helping me up from the floor, as Starmie was quick to its feet, opening the portal behind him.

"Thank you for your cooperation m'dear. Now, I'll uphold my end of the deal. I'll let you see your precious daughter. But just remember:" he walked over to me again, gently running a star point over my throat. "Disobey, and she dies. Understand?"

I nodded at him, desperately wanting my daughter in my arms.

Starmie turned to the portal, barking orders into it "Bring the prisoners their daughter!"

After a moment, an aegislash floated through the rift, holding my baby by the scruff of her neck. It's cold monocular gaze pierced all around it.

"Mummy! Dad!" She cried, struggling in the swords grasp, trying to break free.

"Be still Heretic!" Aegislash roared, probably traumatizing my precious daughter.

"It's alright Sir Aegislash. Put her down."

"As you wish, your highness." The knight bowed, placing her on the floor gently, to which she darted over to Martyn and me, throwing herself into my arms, and crying.

"Shh...it's alright…mummy's here…mummy's here..." I held her as tightly as the day she was born.

"See, Lana? If we dispose of the...interloper...I'll release you, your husband and your daughter. Your cooperation is vital to our operation."

"I-is that a promise, Starmie?" Martyn asked with sheer disdain oozing from his mouth.

"I am a man of my word. Keep watch over these two. Give them fifteen minutes." He ordered Sir Aegislash. And he calls Martyn an obedient dog…

"Your wish is my command, milord." He bowed once more.

I made a mental note to savor every moment with my little blessing...

 _ **End of chapter...**_


	2. Chapter 2: Reminders of the Past

(AN) Alrighty, chapter two. Ok, guys, I implore you to go back to chapter 1, I've changed it for the better, with the help of one Arrowheadlock (thanks for the input buddy!) please disregard any and all information that from the old version that was corrected. Alright, many thanks

TheLastRanger

Let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Reminders of the Past**_

 _Cave of Beginning-F2_

 **Hazel**

I continued to lead Matt through the cave, still feeling quite grateful for the save back there. But what fascinated me the most, was his species; riolu. They were extremely rare in the Eastern Reach, and to run into one with a human name? I must have been the luckiest girl in the world. Part of me wanted to sit him down and just talk about his past, but he did seem awfully quiet about...well everything. I think he was just shy. I occasionally glanced back at him, seeing his face was mostly blank. I hoped he was listening to everything. I frowned, turning my head away from the aloof teen, upset at how distant he was. I decided to ignore his silence; to focus my attention on this Dungeon, pushing onward to the end.

* * *

 _Cave of Beginning-F3_

We eventually made it to the deepest point of the Dungeon: The Chamber of Past Days. The stone chamber sprawled outward, creating a dome room with water flowing throughout the chamber. Sunlight poured down through large cracks in the walls, illuminating the white murals on every surface of the Sanctum. I could feel the breath being ripped from my lungs. Taking that back path from Howling Gorge was the best decision I've made all year.

I turned around to Matt, looking for his reaction. My face dropped when I saw his dull, emotionless expression still plastered on his muzzle, his eyes half opened. I huffed, shifting my attention from Matt from what I assumed was the first mural. It depicted two species living in separation; Humans and Pokemon. As I moved along, carefully stepping on stones in the water, I followed the story. Humans seemed to have united with Pokemon, the two races joining for survival.

One grand picture depicted a human clad in ornate armour tearing our continent from our sister land of Vragith with their sword. behind this being where several humans cowering and bowing before it.

Time progressed, the humans had begun to wield strange orbs of some kind; parts of these paintings were quite simplistic and difficult to decipher. Eventually, a grand symbol decorated the wall: A large sun with the letter V in front, with many men and women holding it high. I started at this one for a while. I've heard of this symbol before...I believe Mum told me about it...She said always to avoid anywhere with that logo. 'The False Virtue' she always called it; always speaking with disdain in her voice. I looked back at Matt, slight expression marked on his face. His mouth was ever so slightly agape, as he adamantly gazed at the False Virtue insignia.

"I've seen this before…" he muttered, stepping towards the wall, soaking his feet in the cold water. "I recognize this symbol…"

I raised my brow at him as he was almost knee deep in icy cold water. "Have you visited here before…?"

"No, I-" he almost froze upon placing his palm on the stone wall. His aura appendages began to lift, his eyes turning blue. I trembled in a mixture of fear and anticipation. I've never seen a Riolu use the aura before! I attempted to reach for my glasses and book, before Matt's voice pierced my hearing, sending me flying out of my fur practically. "For a brighter, better future...right dad?" His voice was distant, almost filled with some amount of emotion.

I was at a loss for words at how random that statement was. "M-Matt?" I was about to take a step towards him, only stopping when my feet were almost in the water. He stumbled backward, a look of abhorrent confusion on his features. He looked like he was having a panic attack! He suddenly tripped himself over backward, almost clocking himself on the head. Thankfully, the bank of the water caught him, putting him in a sitting position. With haste, I lightly bit the scruff of his neck, dragging him out of the water at least.

He was out cold. What happened? I just stared at his unconscious face, before my eyes shifted to the final mural.

It was by far the largest human depicted in the room: it was the armour-clad human, painted a front of a large cyan rhombus that seemed to glow brilliantly against the wall. The human's head made the top point of the shape, his slightly outstretched arms forming the sides and his feet where the bottom point. All around the mural were planets and stars, orbiting the divine being. But above him was s symbol of the sun, while below was a symbol of the moon. My eyes widened as my breath was taken from me.

"T-the radiant one..."

I closed my eyes, remembering the legends and stories my dad would tell me to help me sleep...

* * *

 **Matt**

My eyes shot open, blinding blue light flooding my vision. Once more, I seemed to be in this haze. Using my memory of the last time this happened, I tried to listen for any voices. I started to pick up some, though they were muffled somewhat.

" _That's right, Matt. I'm surprised you've actually done research."_ That was James! I adamantly listened to what he said. " _Where's your brother and sister?"_

I wanted to respond, but a voice like my own interrupted me. " _J-Jeb's walking Lady at the moment, and Lucy is with her friends, sir..."_

Wait, that was my own voice!

" _Tsk...your mother is at work...looks like I have to take you..."_

" _N-no...It's fine dad, I'll stay-"_

"Is that how you broke your arm last time?" James grunted. "Can't have that happen again...C'mon you, we're going to the corporate HQ."

The silence was thick between myself and James before my past self spoke up "Y-You're going to the headquarters?"

"Yes."

"Will you be meeting with any of the board members?" My voice began to beam.

The lack of context was killing me. But at least I now knew that James was my father...I needed to find him…

I listened to my conversation with dad, it may not have been interesting to most, but it was something at least. A memory, which at least told me that my memories were not completely lost.

" _I'm meeting with the president. She wants to speak with me."_

" _You're taking me to Ms. Lockhart? How did you—?!"_ My past self asked, excitement obvious in my young voice.

 _"That's not important. What is though, is that I expect you to be on your best behavior. Understand?"_

" _Y-yes, sir..."_

" _Good. Now, let's go, boy. Let's not waste any more time than we already have...fifteen years old and in need of babysitting..."_ his voice began to fade, as I began to awaken…

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, staring upward towards the ceiling. My entire lower half felt soaked: again. I peered to my side, seeing Hazel nose deep in her book, her glasses slipping down her muzzle. With a groan I pushed myself into an upright sitting position, rubbing my eyes.

"You're awake! What happened?!" Hazel closed her book, walking over to face me.

"Ugh...I'm not sure…" I explained, trying to stand, my legs giving way. Whilst helping me up, she gave me the strangest look she's ever given me. (Even though I've only known her for about four hours now.)

"Strange...you weren't seizing at all...are you sure you're alright? you're not dehydrated at all, are you?"

Once I was back on my feet, I stretched, cracking my back. "Look, I'm fine...is it alright...if we stay here for a little while…?"

"Why, are you feeling faint? I've got some water if you need…"

"N-no, I'm fine…" I sighed, rubbing my eyes "it's just...sentimental, you know?"

Her gaze somehow was even stranger than before "sentimental? I thought you haven't been here before…"

"I haven't...but that insignia is quite important, at least to me."

"I hope you don't take offence to this but...you're quite odd," she mumbled. "are you sure you're absolutely okay?"

I sighed, turning away from her, and looking at the assortment of paintings in here.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't very nice of me…guess we could stay for a tad longer," She mulled, as I looked over to a huge mural of what I assumed was a human looming over us. "I suppose I could copy a few of these drawings into my book."

"Alright." I sighed, gazing up at the largest mural, before realizing how soaked my lower half was. "Oh, and Hazel…"

"Hm?" She looked at me from over her book.

"Could I borrow that towel again…?" I shivered.

I heard Hazel giggle, rummaging through her bag. In my distracted moment, a still slightly damp towel obstructed my vision, her giggle turned into full-on hysterical laughter. Truth be told, I somewhat enjoyed the feeling of it over my face. After a second, I pulled it off, beginning to dry myself, ignoring the laughing girl behind me.

Even after drying myself for the best part of fifteen minutes, I was still damp. This fur was unmanageable, so obnoxious. I stared into my reflection again from the pool of water. Still a riolu. So many questions, so little answers. I was on the verge of tears inside, but my face was strong, uncaring. As long as I kept the act up, I'll push through. I wanted to go home. But that was impossible just now. I hoped to God that this "Felicity Creek" would offer some kind of clarity. Perhaps if I could find more hints of my kind, maybe, just maybe I could piece together what little memories they could give.

"Alright Matt, I've got enough down, ready?" She began to pack up, placing her items into her satchel. "Oh, and could you hold onto that towel? I don't want it soggying up my notes." I gazed at the yellow fabric, before slinging it under my armpit. I waited for her to give the cue.

"I'm ready." I looked at the exit; a crude staircase leading up, to what I'm guessing was the surface.

"Righty-o. Come on, I think we're nearing Felicity Creek now." She began to lead me up the stairs, the once cool cavern becoming humid.

The stairs led directly into the surface, only separated off by a small wooden hatch in the ground; a hatch, for whatever reason, refused to open again after we had accidentally shut it. A rush of humidity washed over me, as we moved into what appeared to be a dense jungle of some sort. I was honestly taken aback at how sudden the change of environment came. It was night time now, but only late in the evening when we entered. This environment was strange…

"So, at last. We've arrived in the great central jungle." She stared at all the different wildlife, her eyes practically gleaming. "According to the map...it's only about half an hour to the riverboat landing. Once there, it's home-free. Well just bunker down on the boat for twelve or so hours, then it's all smooth sailing; so to speak." She stifled a laugh, likely at her own joke.

I just looked at her, our humor not quite meeting eye to eye. She awkwardly coughed, before leading once again. I just blinked at her, before following again.

She remained awkwardly silent as we trotted along through the jungle. I took a moment to observe her character. She was a bit...much. I wasn't too fond about her rambling, she did seem like she was just using me as some kind of personal listening device. I have noticed her occasional glances over my way. Every time we made even the slightest amount of eye contact, she looked away. I decided to avert my gaze from her, for the time being. We're most likely going to split after arriving at the town. But In the meantime, I'd have to tolerate her. Hopefully, I could get some sleep in on the boat ride, given the humidity doesn't keep me awake at night. I shook my head, those black tendrils slapping my face slightly. Gah...they were so annoying! I attempted to adjust them into a manageable position, trying to tuck them behind my ears; only to have them fall back into place. With a huff, I tried again, but the same thing had happened; they fell. I felt the side of my head, my whole body tensing when I felt nothing. Whilst making sure she wasn't looking, I ran a hand over my entire head, stopping only when I felt two pointy ears on top of my skull. I sighed, letting the appendages fall, letting them rest on the sides of my cheeks. I dropped my arms, sighing at everything. I detested this new body of mine, loathed even. I cursed under my breath, simply staring down at my two little feet, as they kicked foliage out of the way.

Then something occurred to me: my feet were bare, so were my legs. My body too...heavens above...I was naked...my whole body felt like it caught fire all of a sudden, my legs crossing, even as I walked. This nightmare needed to end. Perhaps my fur was covering at least some of me...hopefully. Did pokemon feel shame about nakedness? Or was it a distinctly human thing? Maybe I should ask...ask...dear lord she was naked too. I mentally slapped myself and my dirty mind, it must have been teenage feelings. Maybe I was just tired...

I rubbed my eyes, a yawn escaping my muzzle. How long was I traveling…? I wasn't sure, maybe about...four to five hours? My feet ached and my eyes were heavy. I really just wanted to snooze. I dunno, maybe this was some awful dream. A very lucid, awful dream.

After about...who knows? We reached a pier over a massive, yet calm river, a small line of Pokemon awaiting the boat. Most looking about as drowsy as I was. I turned to look at Hazel; who was reading a sign stating all the prices, squinting as she couldn't properly see.

"Matt, how old are you?" She suddenly asked. "Because if you're under eighteen, it's cheaper. Good thing I'm sixteen."

"I...I'm fifteen, at least I think I am..." I admitted, going only by that memory from earlier, causing me to shudder, this lack of knowledge tearing at me "my memory isn't the best right now…"

"Hmm, we're gonna have to seek out a psychic, to try and fix that memory of yours." She rummaged in her bag, pulling out a sack that jingled, full of currency I guessed. "Anyways, good thing my adventures earned me all this."

"Y-you're paying my fee too?"

"Of course. My pleasure." She stated in her usual bubbly tone, a smile blessing her features.

"T-thank you…" I was truly grateful, considering money wasn't even on my mind.

As we waited in line, I took a moment to observe everyone else, going about the end of their routine. In front of me was a Flygon, quietly humming, clearly enjoying himself. Just joining the cue was a Bayleef and Chikorita, both carried containers in their vines, filled to the brim with an assortment of fresh fruit and berries. Chikorita is yapping away at her either her mother or sister, a cousin perhaps. Bayleef didn't look very invested in the conversation but looked just as cheery as her bubbly little counterpart.

The boat finally arrived after another twenty minutes, and by that time, I was almost asleep. The boat was rather large actually, probably able to carry up to ten Pokemon of various sizes. All I knew is that the second I rest my head, I'll be asleep. The boat came to a complete halt, a dewott and prinplup anchoring it to the dock.

"All aboard!" Shouted the prinplup, to the best of her ability, as her voice was strained from probably hours of traveling.

My mind was a hazy mess of exhaustion, I could barely make out being herded onto the boat, a brief memory of Hazel paying. Other than that, I didn't really care. I jumped upon mine and Hazel's seat, a rather uncomfortable wooden bench to be specific, but as long as I could rest my everything, I was fine. I let out a huge yawn as I pulled my legs under my chin, wearily resting my head on my knees. Hazel jumped up onto the bench as well, joining my side, sitting a tad too close to my liking.

"Geez, you're looking shattered, you should get some sleep, Matt." Hazel stared at me, a look of concern on her face. I gazed back at her.

"Why...?"

"Why? Because you're tired and you—"

"No, why are you being so...generous to me?"

"Why? Because. You seem nice. I can sorta trust you. My dad always said little acts of charity are always good," She explained with a jolly smile. "and besides; I could always use a two-legger to hold some stuff for me. You'd do that for me, right Matt?"

"Er…"

She giggled even more "I'm just playing with you. I'm just happy I now have a travel buddy." She nudged my shoulder.

"L-likewise…" I quietly responded with a yawn, before both of her paws tightly wrapped around one of mine, shaking it thoroughly, knocking me out of my trance.

"I guess that makes us official buddies then! What next? A rescue team?" Her quiet giggle turned into a full-on laugh, gaining the attention of probably everyone on board. My cheeks burned in embarrassment as I tried to hide behind my legs. She eventually broke her iron grip, rubbing a tear from her eye. "Anyways, I'mma let you get some sleep, Matt. It's been a long day. Just holler at me if you need a blanket."

A light smile appeared on my muzzle, as I shifted into a more comfortable position. "Thank you, Hazel...you've been too good to me…" I closed my eyes, resting my head on my hands. "Goodnight…"

"Sweet dreams, Matt, and you're welcome."

I began to drift into sleep as I recollected all that's transpired today. It certainly was extremely weird, and almost impossible to properly comprehend. But without her, I probably wouldn't be on my way to civilization, albeit not likely among my own kind. I'll need to repay her at some point. But for now? We're travel buddies, I suppose…

—

 _Elsewhere…_

 **Sir Bisharp**

With crossed legs, I sat in my chamber, awaiting my next order. An order, which finally surfaced after about two months of inactivity. My master's voice rang out in my mind, overpowering all of my thoughts and feelings.

"Sir Bisharp! Report to my chamber immediately! I'm in need of your...expertise..." His voice as low and hollow as it usually was. I felt the presence leave my mind as I regained control over myself. With a sigh I stood up, admiring all the weapons and tools I've gathered over my life. Running my hand across an old human blade, I made my way out of my room, using my other hand to keep this damn cape in place.

My metal feet echoed loudly throughout the slate-colored hallways of the obelisk, all my underlings froze to salute me as I passed them. I peered out into the endless purple sky from an open hole in the wall we called a window, reminding me about the persecution I'd face back home Brushing my thoughts aside, I reached the red hexagonal door leading to my master's abode. Waiting also was Sirs Aegislash, Pangoro and Gardevoir, all dressed in the same ridiculous purple capes. I joined the trio, crossing my arms and tapping my hoof.

"Sir Bisharp." Commander Aegishlash calmly greeted. "It appears we've all been summoned for the same reason. The time has come."

Pangoro snorted, hardly even acknowledging our presence. "As long as we ain't cooped up in this bloody tower any longer."

"Oh, how I've longed to be of any use once again! Yes indeedy." Gardevoir dramatically stated, placing the back of his hand on his forehead. "Aha, wouldn't it be lovely to bend the lives of weaklings once again?" His face still oozed a disgusting amount of enthusiasm, his pink eyes contorted into a wink.

"Quite...on the other hand, we have all been summoned, like Sir Aegislash said. Starmie must be plotting something big. Very big. What do you think?" I asked, continuing to tap my foot on the ground.

"Has the master's elaborate game of chess finally just come into fruition? Will his elegant schemes and schedules be properly fulfilled? Will—" Gardevoir's irritating tangent was interrupted by Pangoro.

"What the bloody 'ell are you trying to say?!"

"Ahaha, I forgot you are about as subtle as an explosion in a maternity ward." Sir Gardevoir sighed.

"Wot?!"

Gardevoir simply burst into wild laughter, stopping only when Starmie's door slowly began to open, the aroma of seaweed and saltwater assaulting our nostrils. Once fully open, Starmie's voice sounded once again.

" _Enter…_ " Starmie beckoned. We all glanced at each other, before entering.

We crossed a large bridge of crystal, hanging above a pit of murky black water, with no walls in sight, eventually leading to a spire with a ten-pointed star decorating the floor with a large crystal in the center. Very subtle. We all took a knee in front of the crystal, sans Aegislash who rotated himself down into a bowing position.

Seawater splashed over us as Lord Starmie jumped up from the depths of the pool, executing a somersault mid-air, before landing on the crystal. The star on his back rotated as he observed us closely, the lack of any real expression causing us to freeze up.

The silence was becoming unbearable until someone just as unbearable had to interject "A flawless arrival, master. You were like a beautiful girl, cascading through the night sky, blessing us all with a wonderful shower as you emerged!" Gardevoir exclaimed, a smile on his face.

"I need not your...bravado...Sir Gardevoir. I suggest you irritate your fellow knights with it, specifically while I'm not in your...presence..." Starmie peered at the flamboyant knight.

"As you wish, your excellence…"

"...Wonderful..." The Lord muttered, sarcasm obviously lining his voice. "Anyway, I have summoned you all here for a reason. The reason being? The Interloper. The espeon: Lana Fox has informed me of this threat's whereabouts and identity." Starmie explained, pacing back and forth, annunciating its words with subtle arm gestures.

"There could be a possibility she could be lying, milord. She has tricked us before," I asked, gazing up at my lord. "How can we be certain—?"

The Master turned to face me for a moment before spinning over to a small cage suspended over the pools of seawater.

"I have, let's say...a way...to keep Mrs. Fox...truthful...dear Bisharp." Lord Starmie assured as he nudged the small cell, causing it to swing slightly. Immediately the young occupant inside was startled awake and found itself directly in Lord Starmie's gaze. All the little rodent could do was press herself up against the bars farthest away from it and pitifully try to hide her face under her tail.

"We happen to have their precious daughter as well. Sir Aegislash, I believe you are already acquainted with this little eevee?" Starmie asked, not bothering to even face us.

"That I am milord, well, not personally, but I digress—"

Before Aegislash could even finish his sentence, gardevoir interrupted, much to everyone's dismay. "Ahh, Lana and Martyn. My favorite two little puppies. Tell me, does that cave still reek of their evening activities?"

"We don't want to bloody know you pillock!"

"Silence!" Starmie hissed, swinging its entire body towards the two, his top three-star points crackling with electricity, causing both Pangoro and Gardevoir to flinch at the possibility of disintegration; Starmie's favorite form of execution. At least Aegislash and I were intelligent enough not to incur the wrath of Starmie. We just closed our eyes and waited for Starmie to continue.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely... _interrupted_..." Starmie composed himself. "The interloper has appeared at last. This is unacceptable. He will ruin everything given the chance. I want him in my arms. Safe, and secure."

"Wouldn't it be better just to kill him…?" Pangoro hesitated to ask.

"Did I ask for his life to continue? No. I just want his...cadaver...in good condition." he began to conjure a portal, likely into the normal world. "I'm entrusting all four of you to apprehend, eliminate and bring me the interloper's corpse. I suggest you keep the questions brief, I cannot hold this rift for too long; breaking reality isn't a priority at the moment you see."

"Just give us that creature's description, and he shall be yours, milord…" Aegislash spoke before anyone else could.

"Riolu, average features for its kind, blank expression..." Starmie calmly explained as space and time itself was torn, distortion bending reality at the seams. "and just remember this, gentlemen; once you enter this rift, I will be unable to contact you. But once you sap the life from the interloper, report to the astral sanctuary, in the badlands, then await further instructions."

I nodded and marched over to the portal, taking a step through, into a forest of some kind. I turned to the rift and shouted: "Make Haste brothers!"

"And don't fail me, or you'll be joining Sir Tyrantitar." Was the last thing I heard as I entered the gateway to the normal world.

Gardevoir was the last to join us, elegantly landing as the rift closed behind us, (although his cape almost snagged inside the now closing portal, what a disaster that would've been.) as we entered the cold forest. We were now alone in this world. We needed to tread carefully now. The blades on my forearms extended with a loud hiss as I slowly began to move.

"Just teleport us as far away from the target as humanly possible…no really, please just teleport us to the Western Reach while you're at it..." Pangoro complained sarcastically, as he began to follow.

Interloper, wherever you may be, you will not escape the Children of Distortion... _no one can..._

* * *

 _ **End of chapter 2**_

(AN) Chapter 2 completed, and hoo boy was it long. Anyways, massive shoutout goes to Arrowheadlock again, helping me out with plot stuff.

On a different note, however, this story will be dealing with more sexual scenes further down the road (no lemons) so, I just wanted to make that clear.

But as always, this has been TheLastRanger

Peace.


	3. Chapter 3: Felicity Creek

(AN) back for another round? I'm gonna set a goal for myself- 3000 word chapters are not allowed. Even if it's 2999, I won't use it. Feel free to call me out if you notice the length of a chapter. Also, I've retconned Matt's eye colour from red to brown, just to differentiate him. Just to let you know.

But now that the rambling is out of the way,

Let's begin!

 ** _Chapter 3: Felicity Creek_**

* * *

 ** _Hazel_**

The boat gently rocked and swayed, traveling along the great river's path, under the pale moon of midnight. I really should have been asleep, but thoughts were keeping me awake all night. Mainly surrounding the riolu to my right. He was certainly quite strange, yes, but I couldn't just leave him behind, especially with memory issues. Plus, actually traveling with somebody was a nice change from all the roads I've walked alone.

I've long since packed my book and glasses away, for I was unable to read due to the lack of visibility. Instead I gazed at the great starry sky above, an activity I've rarely seen, due to the rainy conditions of my homelands: The Western Reach. Still, I've always wondered what the differences between the Reaches are, other than landscapes. From what I've heard, the East was more kind and accepting than the West. Maybe Matt knew, The Dead Coast is in the Eastern Reach's borders.

I shifted my attention to the snoozing riolu. He was lying on his side, using his hands as pillows, his head resting quite close to my side. He gently snored, as all seemed peaceful, though he did shiver due to the crisp night time air. I bit my lip, knowing that my blanket was snuggly wrapped around my body like some kind of cape. I wanted to drape it around him, but I was too cozy. But I did have thick fur. (a double coat to be precise.) I was uncertain about the consistency of his fur, even with our minimal moments of physical contact.

"Matt…?" I whispered, making sure that he was properly asleep. After no response, I held my breath, slowly placing a paw between his ears, feeling for his fur's length. To my surprise, (and regret) his azure coat was much shorter than mine, being more wiry, rather than fluffy. He must've been more suited for warmer environments. I should've noted that down, if it wasn't so bloody dark.

With a regret filled sigh, I pulled my source of warmth from myself, placing it over his form. He shifted in his sleep, snuggling into the blanket and smiling. I chuckled slightly, ignoring the subtle coldness nipping at me. I must say, it was quite the cute sight, even though he was practically a stranger to me. Shaking my head and quietly giggling, I curled myself up into a ball, hoping to stave off some of the cold. I glanced at Matt with one eye open. He was still gently wrapped up and cozy. With a sigh, I closed my eyes, as I awaited what the famous River Town had in store for Matt and I, as I drifted away into dreamland…

 _8 hours later…_

The sounds of a heavy bell ringing plunged me into consciousness as I jumped in fright.

"Felicity Creek inbound! Just another hour until we arrive!" The dewott Captain shouted loudly, waking everyone who didn't hear the bell probably. "Please Keep a hold of any possessions, you don't want to be losing anything in the Eastern Reach's Sapphire!"

Rubbing my eyes, I yawned, looking over to Matt; who's strangely brown eyes fluttered open, as he began to sit upright, the blanket resting on his shoulders. He felt around at the fabric keeping him warm with one paw, the other holding his feet as he sat cross-legged. I gave him a warm smile, waving at him.

"Good mornin' Matt! Sleep well?" I asked, searching through my rucksack for something to eat "almost there…"

"...good morning…" he yawned loudly, politely putting a paw over his mouth. "By the way, was this you?" He tugged on the blanket, a look of curiosity on his face.

I simply nodded, pulling an apple from the bag, handing it to him.

"Thank you…for the blanket...and the food…" he tiredly mumbled, his ears struggling to stay pointed, flopping to the tops of his head. His bloodshot eyes focused at the environment, lazily scanning it. "This jungle is huge, I've never seen anything like it." He points out of the thick canopy of jungle looming over us from atop the great stone valley carved out by the river.

I secretly hoped I'd start moulting soon, because the heat and humidity was really bad for my fur. I always did want a summer coat, or as close to summer as I could get. I was far too used to the cold, if my fur could be more like his, that'd be fantastic, less work to wash as well—

"Uh...Hazel?" Matt's voice snapped me out of my little trance, his paw waving in front of my eyes "Are you alright?"

"Huh? What?! Hello?! Hello." I blurted out, my head twisted to make eye contact. His face was that of sheer confusion, his mouth slightly agape, eyebrow raising "what are you wanting?" I smiled at him again.

"Oh, it's just you went kinda quiet…" he mumbled, blankly staring at me, his brown eyes half open, whilst taking a bite of his apple.

I looked away from his cold gaze, instead opting to look at the massive wooden gate our boat has just stopped at. Two staraptors stood elegantly perched on two poles, keeping watch over the glen. The duo looked at each other, before one spoke in a booming voice that oozed authority.

"Halt! You approach the first gate! State your business!" The staraptor sentry looks down upon us, flicking his red fringe aside aloofly with a wing, his plumage fluttering in the wind.

The prinplup captain was quick to respond, sarcastically and angrily "We're a boarding party ready to lay siege on Felicity Creek—What do you think? We go through this gate everyday! Just open up!" She tapped her talon on the wooden deck of the large rowboat.

"We know, but Magnezone will have our tailfeathers if he found out we let you through without question…" The sentry's voice was infinitely less intimidating as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well you have our reasons now." Captain dewott calmly stated, his hands on his hips. "So y'know…"

With a sigh, the other staraptor shouted down behind the gate. "Open the Gate!" His voice echoed through the valley, as the huge gate opened slowly, the boat began to move again.

I fidgeted around on my seat, knowing that Felicity Creek was now just around the corner. All of my childhood dreams about this place began to surface again. I remembered reading about the Sapphire Library, the hot springs, the town hall and the bazaar. I was practically drooling. It may have been have the size of The Western Reach's capital city: Crucible, it more than made up for it in beauty and safety.

My stomach rumbled, destroying my thought process. I'd've looked through the ever so trusty bag, but i remembered I gave my last apple to Matt, which was unfortunate. Needed to find a restaurant or tavern. Maybe get a good drink in too. I dunno.

I thought about how that was the 'first gate.' Was there more gates? Hopefully not too many more, I couldn't wait any longer. I looked around myself, my eyes landing on Matt, before I remembered he's not been to Felicity Creek; at least I didn't think so. I swivelled around in my seat, until I faced a flygon, who just stared blankly into the sky, a light smile on his face.

"Excuse me mister, may I ask how many more gates there are?"

From behind red goggles, his eyes look down at me. "Oh? First time at the Creek? Well, you better get comfortable, we've still got four more to get through." He chuckled.

"Thanks mister!" I said, hiding my disappointment through sincerity. He smiled politely at me as he nodded. I turned back towards Matt, who looked like he was still half asleep, not even bothering to take the blanket off of his body. I couldn't comprehend why he was so tired, he must've gotten at least eleven hours of sleep. Lazy git.

"How you hanging lazybones?"

"Hmm…? Lazy?" He said while rubbing his eyes. "Just tired...just tired." He yawned, very lethargically, I might add.

"If it's alright with you Matt, mind if we pop into a restaurant or pub? I'm kinda hungry."

"Mhmm...Fine, sounds good…"

I made a noise somewhere in between a laugh and a groan, diverting attention away from the sleepy biped, focussing it on my diary I've retrieved from my bag. Or the fourth diary, to be specific. I opened it up, as I began to jot my thoughts down, as I did every day…

 ** _Matt_**

There I sat, half awake, with the warm blanket Hazel gave me around my shoulders. To be honest, I was ready to sleep even more. I think I deserved at least some rest, all things considered. Instinctively, I wanted to burrow myself into the blanket. Though I'm unsure if it was my new body, or if I just like to hide myself in general.

We passed through the remainder of the large gates, before our destination was in sight. I felt a wave of awe overcome me, as I caught a glimpse of the city. It stood proudly in the valley of the river, a grand settlement of wooden boardwalks and archway bridges, along with what appeared to be large balconies built into the massive glen.

Hazel jumped down from her seat, making her way to the bow of the small ship, standing on her hind legs, with her front on the rail, her large bushy tail wagging like mad. I decided to join her, after removing the cloth from myself. Crossing my arms, I stared at the distant city, the gentle breeze fluttering my fur.

"Wow...it's even more impressive in person...don't you think Matt?" She looked over to me, her eyes brighter than the harsh sun.

"Yep, sure is." I smiled in anticipation at what this town had to offer. I could feel something on my upper backside swishing back and forth. Must've been my tail, the same tail that made it impossible to sleep anywhere but my side

The boat pulled into the packed docks, as visitors of all sorts, the Pokemon all being registered by Magnemite police officers. The second we stepped foot off onto the docks (We were the first off, thanks to a certain eevee's hyperactiveness) a magnemite swooped down in front of us, it's monocular scanning us.

"Names. Age. Now." It demanded quite aggressively.

Hazel was unaffected by the metal ball's loudness "Hazel, sixteen years old, Sir." She smiled.

The police officer nodded, while his buddy took notes. "Excellent. Now you."

"Matthew...fifteen...officer…" I nervously replied, staring at the floor as if I was in trouble, rubbing my feet against the floor.

"Alright, you're both registered. But remember: no funny business, or it's the slammer for you two."

"Point taken Officer. Cmon Matt! I'm starving." She jogged ahead, leaving me and the police officer making brief eye contact, before I bowed my head politely, running after the girl.

Eventually I caught up to her, as she had stopped to try and look at a map hanging from a post.

"Matt, I need your tallness again, do you see a pub anywhere?" She tried to catch a glimpse of the map, but her tininess was playing against her.

I ran a finger across the map, tracing the shape of the pathways and locations. I recognised some of the landmarks pointed out by Hazel earlier. My finger eventually stops on a location I believe to be a local tavern, it was an out of the way location, built into the valley walls to the north.

"There's one there, the Tepig and Whistle." I pointed out to the bar on the map. "Does that sound good?"

"Tepig? Do you think they do bacon there?" She stifled a laugh, looking around herself to see if no one else was listening. "I've yearned for the taste of fresh meat for a while."

I stared at her, my jaw beginning to open in horror. Her deadpan expression broke, as she burst into laughter, again, my face heating up.

"Oh please. I'm just pulling your leg." She nudged my knee. "Mostly." She began to walk somewhere.

"Hazel! Wait! You don't know where you're going!" I ran after her, the floorboards creaking underneath my feet.

10 minutes later

We entered the busy tavern, the sound of a jolly bard band playing and the stench of alcohol assaulting my nostrils. I looked down at Hazel; who eyed up the large circular room, excitement gleaming in her face. She lead me to an out of the way table sat in its own little alcove. I must say, it was very cozy with a little torch on the wall above the chair. I just noticed how the table and chair are on the exact same height.

"So. Guess we can rest our poor feet, eh Matt?" She let out a relaxed sigh, waiting for the barmaid to arrive. "It's been a long journey."

"You could say that again." I crossed my legs, resting my hands on my feet, letting all tension in my body disappear. Only now have I realised how much my little paws hurt. I internally felt guilty for putting my bare feet up onto the seat, but pushed the feeling aside upon realising that no one in here is actually wearing shoes.

After a little while of waiting, a roselia appears before the table, announcing herself with an upbeat: "Hello! What can I get you two?" She smiled, retrieving a notepad and pencil from the depth of a rose, her eyes shifting from Hazel to me, though it looked like she took more interest in me, for whatever reason.

"Tea for me, please. Two sugars, and milk please." Hazel politely asked. "And a few biscuits, too."

I thought of what I wanted for a second, before instinctively responding: "Coffee. Black, please." I don't know what compelled me to request for that, maybe it was my preferred drink of choice back in my human days. Who knows?

"Will that be all?"

"Yes please." Both Hazel and I responded in unison. The barmaid nodded to me, looking at her notes and turning for the kitchen.

Once she was out of view, Hazel began to giggle to herself "She was totally checking you out." Her comment was both random, and embarrassing.

"N-no she wasn't…" I mumbled, averting my eyes from the eevee, who just giggled even more. "B-besides, I'm not interested in that stuff…"

"What? Flowers or love? My, aren't you romantic?" I could imagine the look on her face.

"Shut up…" my ears drooped, my fur hiding blushing skin.

After another awkward pause, the barmaid returned, holding a tray with a mug and a teacup on it, along with a plate with an assortment of biscuits on it. She placed it down on the table in front of us, bowing slightly as she left.

"Enjoy!"

I grabbed the large steaming mug, the bitter aroma blessing my nostrils. Something about this particular brew...felt different. I was somehow familiar with the smell of coffee, but this smelt divine. Blowing on it to cool, I took a sip. The taste...it was...delicious. Letting out a coo of satisfaction, I shifted in my seat, grasping the warm mug tightly. At least this was familiar, removing some of the tension from within me.

I glanced over to Hazel, who delicately held her cup; a little teacup for a little teacup fox. Fitting. She took little sips, trying her best not to make any noises.

She reached for the plate, picking up one of the sugary treats, before examining it closely, her subtle smile growing.

"Aww, Matt, look. It's a little staryu! Isn't it adorable?" She held it up to show me, pointing at the little cherry in the centre of the icing to represent the pearl. I chuckled at the cute snack.

"Guess it is quite cute…" I rubbed my chin, before a brilliant idea popped into my head. "Hold on a second." I grabbed two of the star shaped ones, eating the cherry off of one and using the icing as adhesive if some kind, I placed one in the back of the other upside down, showing it to Hazel.

"It's a starmie now."

Hazel completely lost it at that as she began to laugh like a maniac. Again. She tried to compose herself, as tears of laughter rolled down her cheeks. "That's genius...you know, I've always wanted meet a starmie. I heard that nothing shines more brilliantly than their gemstones. Too bad most of them hang out underwater." She sighed, as she's calmed down completely. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever met a staryu either…" She contemplated, taking a sip of tea thoughtfully.

We sat in relative silence, enjoying our drinks, listening to the upbeat music, as other pokemon danced enthusiastically in time to the lutes, flutes and accordions. Hazel eventually put her cup down, removing her bag and placing it on the chair next to me. I stared at her curiously as she hopped down onto the floor.

"Want to dance?" She offered a paw.

"No thanks...I don't know how…"

She dropped her paw in disappointment. "Oh, that's alright. You can look after my stuff then." Her disappointed pout turned into a sly smirk "Not very romantic are you?"

"Shut up…"

"I'm just playing with you, if you wanna, you can read the book in that bag; the big one. Don't touch the other ones, they're personal, ok?" She explained as she left to dance.

I opened the leather pouch, revealing four to five books, the towel from earlier, along with the blanket. The bag had a hefty weight to it, but Hazel could carry it around no bother. Quite impressive. I took out the largest of the books, the one about legends, specifically.

I began to flip through pages, quietly saying their titles out loud "The Eternal Struggle of Arceus and Algaloe...The Red Eyed Cyclops…The Outlands…" I whispered to myself, ignoring my surroundings. I froze at a certain page. It displayed two very good sketches of a human man and woman. I'm impressed with the anatomy and detail, especially because of her lack of thumbs.

"Humans (Homosapien) were widely considered to be the single most adaptable of all creatures on the planet, with decent strength and high intelligence." She wasn't wrong. The average build and physique of the human varied from person to person, but as a whole, they stood roughly six feet tall and weighed one-hundred and fifty pounds on average, with the regular lifespan lasting seventy to eighty years, although in rare cases, they have reportedly lived up to ninety to one hundred. Although not as physically strong as us, they did have terrifying amounts of stamina and willpower, along the ability to craft weapons from just about anything. Legends reported that they fought with an entirely different level of ferocity."

"Humanity; at least from what I've seen; have provided the basic fundamentals for our society to exist, using concepts such as currency, government, architecture and agriculture. Their language is also quite sophisticated, using a diverse collection of noises and body language, opposed to our basic forms of communication we once used: barks, growls, ect. Many refuse to believe it, but without human intervention: all pokemon, everywhere, would remain feral. No different than the beasts that lurk around in mystery dungeons, and for that, I am grateful.

I read this section of the book for what felt like hours, (although it was probably only about twenty minutes.) eventually coming to the end of this topic, disappointment washing over me. "Unfortunately, my research into the matter has concluded as all the legends say: humanity has reportedly disappeared entirely. Even scouring through their ruins has gotten me very little yield or information. This is truly illogical and inconceivable. No species can just fall off the planet like that. It is my belief that someone else is trying to rewrite history, destroying and fabricating any clues as to the true fate of Humankind. As much as I've tried to piece what little surviving clues remain to find the truth, it seems that the answer may have been lost forever-Hazel."

My eyes widened at the last note. I could tell her now. I honestly had no idea about what kind of reaction she'd have, or if she'd even believe me, but this girl is the only person who could believe me. I felt an overwhelming amount of luck; at the fact that I just happened to bump into an eevee who knows this amount of information about my true kind. I also felt dread, as I realised that she'd probably see me as absolutely insane if I admitted who I really was, likely causing her to abandon me, which was far from what I wanted. She's the only reason why I've made it this far, admittedly.

I was about to leave my seat, but Hazel was already on her way back to the table, a less than amused look on her face. She jumped up next to me and sighed.

"Hazel? What's wrong, are you—" I tried to ask, but was interrupted by her.

"Can I ask you for a favour?" She was uncharacteristically serious. "Look, this might be hard to explain, but...look, there's this yungoos who keeps leering at me. It's quite uncomfortable…" she huffed, and closed her eyes, blurting out: "I'm sure he's seen me come here, so could you just…hold me. Just to trick him into leaving me alone."

I began to burn up in embarrassment "Couldn't...couldn't we just leave the pub?"

"Thing is, I was enjoying myself here...look, if you do this, you won't have to pay me back for anything, deal? Hurry, I hear him coming."

Without any other choice, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to my side, our fur brushing against one another. Hazel shifted much of her weight into me, trying to get comfortable. Suffice to say, I was extremely embarrassed, yet extremely thankful for my new coat of fur that hid the embarrassment quite nicely.

"Ok, this is good. Just act like we're a right proper couple, and make it sound convincing! None of that flowery—" her eyes dart to the yungoos who had just turned the corner and had spotted us. "I love you, Matty." She purred, hypocritically, I might add, nuzzling my chin. I just awkwardly stared at her then to the weasel.

"Uhh...love you too…?" I brought my other hand around her, giving her the shakiest hug I could muster, forcing a smile.

"You serious? What kinda girl doesn't dance with her mate?!" The blonde rodent demanded.

"Piss off, plonker!" Hazel hissed, her nose coldly pressed up against my neck. I stifled a chuckle at this new attitude of hers. Teacup indeed.

"Don't be like that! Don't think this chump would like that!" His aggressive face shifted into slyness. "I wouldn't mind though…I like mine feisty." He tried eyeing her up, but I made sure to obscure her as much as possible with my arms. I had since stopped laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, getting quite annoyed at his insult.

"Back off pal." I firmly stated, giving him my coldest look I could muster. "Don't make me do anything I'll regret." I removed my hands from her side, the bar's attention slowly shifting to us.

"Ooh big guy, I'm so scared!"

"I'm warning you." I instinctively lowered my head and body, my hands clenched into fists. "Back. Off."

While filled with anger, I still noted the absurdity of this fiasco. Either I was defending Hazel like some knight in shining armour, or I was just a really convincing actor.

"What do I care?! I don't need a who—" his insult was interrupted by the barmaid speaking a single word.

"Officer…?"

All eyes turned to the door, revealing a single off duty magnemite, who stared at the yungoos with sheer disdain "No need to explain. I got it all."

Yungoos froze, all colour washed away from him, as he slowly turned to face the metal ball. "Hey...Officer...lets not do anything hasty now…" he backed away from the magnemite.

"You are under arrest for disturbing the peace!" Its magnets sparked, before the policeman, rushed over to the weasel, his magnets making contact with the yungoos' torso, as he began to convulse from the electricity coursing through him. I grimaced and looked away, as I heard Hazel gasp.

The yungoos fell to the ground, twitching and seizing, as the magnemite uncaringly looked down upon him, before grabbing his tail with one magnet, using the other to tip its cap. "Crisis averted, get back to your drinks everyone, and put one on my tab." It dragged the 'criminal' out the door, mumbling about not having its morning coffee. The bar was in utter silence, before the bards started to play again.

The barmaid ran up to me, profusely apologizing. "I'm so sorry sir...is there anyway we could make it up to you?"

I looked to Hazel who just looked down at her empty cup. "Just a refill of mine and her cups, please."

"Right away." She retrieved the cups, bringing them back to the kitchen, as I joined Hazel again.

"That was...something." I sighed, crossing my legs to sit.

"Yeah...Sorry about that...but, thanks. You saved quite the headache." She smiled gently at me.

"No problem," I responded, repeatedly going over what just happened a few minutes ago in my head. "But still, Matty?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Heh…I just thought it would be a cute pet name, y'know, if we were ever a thing." She explained casually, looking at the still open book on the table "Oh! I see you were looking at the human page! That's my favourite subject!"

"Yeah...about that...look, after we have our drinks...I need to speak with you- in private." I peered around at all the possible prying eyes.

"What, no flowers?" She gave me a look of faux promiscuity.

"What…? No! I'm being serious Hazel!"

She just stared at me blankly, a good sign.

"And I wasn't?" She grinned at me as I started to burn up. This girl...was something else entirely… "Alright. I'll play along." She nodded as our refills were placed on the table, as we began to discuss other matters.

We eventually left the bar roughly at midday, with the sun shining over us brightly, a rush of humidity washing over me as we left the cool pub. The now afternoon city was bustling with activity, as pokemon continued in their routines. Just about everyone was smiling. Even through the harsh police force, this city seemed genuinely happy. The sound of running water and people talking was quite relaxing actually.

"Alright Matt, where to next? The Bazaar, or the Sapphire Library?" Hazel cheerily asked, as chipper as ever. I considered my options, eventually deciding that the library would be the most secluded and quiet location to potentially tell Hazel about my...heritage.

"Let's check out the library. It sounds pretty impressive and all."

"Righty-O! To the library!" She ran off. Again. I sighed, dropping my shoulders and grabbing the bridge of my muzzle with two fingers and squeezing it, before running after the eevee. If she kept this up, I'd have to hold her hand the entire way there, at least if hand holding was even possible between us.

With an agitated 'ugh' I jogged after her, as she again was going the wrong way.

After catching up with Hazel, and setting her on the right path, we as slowly as possible worked our way through the city, taking in as much as we could. This place was quite beautiful, the more of it that I've seen, I had to admit.

I couldn't help but smile every time Hazel pointed out a gondola that would pass under the bridge we were on. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely, which, for whatever reason, made me happy too.

In the centre of the wooden city, stood a grand circular marble tower, which stood tall above the rest of the great city, surrounded by its own wooden pier, with what appeared to be a park of some kind. Many Pokemon relaxed in the shadow of the mighty building, on a thin layer of grass. Many played, including the chikorita and bayleef from earlier, while others decided to sit and read, with books borrowed from the library. I couldn't help but ogle the structure, captivated by its sheer beauty.

"The Sapphire Library...it's beautiful…" Hazel said as if she was in a trance. "They say it's the oldest building in the entire Reach."

"How old would that be?"

"Hmm…" she closed her eyes, rubbing her chin thoughtfully "Two hundred and fifty years...roughly."

"Wow…"

"Mhmm! And hopefully, we'll meet the famous Librarians!"

I tilted my head at her, feeling my ears flop. "The who…?"

"Only the five most intelligent Pokemon in all the world!" She swooned over the prospects of meeting the five "I take it you're not as much of an avid reader as I am…?"

"No...I don't keep up with the latest in book related news…" I scratched my head nervously.

"Let's see if I can maybe ring a bell…" She thoughtfully said, concentrating her hardest "There's the: Historian, the Consular, the Cartographer, the Curator and the Surveyor. Heard of any of those names?"

"...no…?"

Her jaw dropped, as her brown eyes scanned me up and down rapidly.

"Do you even know the modern world? These are the head honchos of smartness! The pinnacle of genius!" Her tail wagged like mad, as I could tell she started to blush "to stand as a member of the council...oh that would be so amazing…" she seemed to snap out of it as she noticed me staring blankly at her, a bashful expression appearing on her face "ahem, sorry about that."

"How about we go in, so I can meet them?" i suggested, desperately wanting to tell her the truth.

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's go in!" She ran ahead, actually knowing where she was going this time...

 _Elsewhere_ …

 _ **Sir Bisharp**_

 _Cave of Beginning-F1_

We entered the Dungeon via a entrance that a path directly entered to. Convenient, but still too much hassle. Why Lord Starmie teleported is this far away was beyond me. But as long as this mission goes according to plan, I'm satisfied.

My comrades and I proceeded down the linear cave path, with Sir Aegislash taking the lead; being the most experienced of us four. Sirs Gardevoir and Pangoro shoot side by side in the middle, whilst I watched their backs. As I always did. I say watch, but all I did was stare at my metal hooves and waited for the dungeon to end.

Even as we stopped to fight some ferals, I refused to take action; there was no honour or glory to be obtained here.

"What's the matter Bisharp?" Gardevoir asked while throwing a nidoran around with telekinesis, killing the tiny creature "not in the mood to fight?"

"Hmph. Hardly a fight," I responded, staring at Pangoro as he was about to ram a feral geodude onto a stalagmite, looking away only when both rocks made contact with a crunch. "I'd call this dishonourable display an execution."

"Grow a spine Bisharp. Your whole 'Honour' speil is a hindrance to the operation," Aegislash criticised whilst cutting a paras in half "you have just gained your title, Bisharp. I suggest you uphold it."

"Are you insulting golden boy there? You can't do that! He hurt a big bird and captured two little traitors!" Pangoro guffawed whilst clapping geodude remains off his arms.

I didn't even bother to react to those three, as I knew it would be counter productive to do so. I just rolled my eyes and waited for them to finish. Even if something tried to attack me, I'd just kick it into the others, letting them handle it.

After all was said and done, the other knights dusted themselves off, after putting so much effort into the battle.

With a sigh, Aegislash beckons us to follow, which we do without question, not bothering to pick up any stray items lying about.

 _Cave of Beginning- F3_

The last floor of this particular dungeon was some kind of monumental chamber. To whose paintings matched decorated the vast walls of the sanctum, a collection of stunning murals depicting an ancient war that besieged this land many generations ago. Some of these paintings I've actually seen replicated on papers in Lord Starmie's chamber, though what interest or knowledge on the subject, was something they would never elaborate on; which was rather unfortunate.

"Look...humans…" Pangoro points to a painting of the symbol that has caused so much strife and misery, held aloft by many biped creatures. "Who drew these…?"

"Who cares?" Gardevoir shrugged "These paintings are just grim reminders of the past, a past whose inhabitants are but dust in the wind."

"Is that why everyone still fears humans?! Especially that one?!" Pangoro points to a massive human painting wielding a powerful weapon: Something _they_ called a 'gun,' from with what I could piece together, was some kind of extremely powerful projectile weapon, said to be powerful enough to instantly steal the life away from whatever it was pointed at, given they didn't have thick armour; much like I did. Sadly, a gun of any caliber is something I haven't been able to add to my vast arsenal of past weaponry yet. I felt my lower back for the small blade I had concealed within a small sheath, just for emergencies.

Before the gardevoir could continue, I butt in: "those who fear the past, are weak, and deserve to be forgotten. Just like the past should be." I closed my eyes, drowning out all I've ever seen and done up until right this very second. "The present is all that matters. It's all that will ever matter."

The other three looked at me blankly, probably trying to contemplate my words.

"Bisharp…just stop," Aegislash sighed, about to move out again "We've no time to waste here. We must continue."

"Wait a minute!" Gardevoir exclaimed dramatically "I found something!" He knelt down to the water, plunging his slender green arms into the cold depths, retrieving a fine blue hair. "Looky looky! A clue! We're on the right track! How wonderful!"

Aegislash took interest as he got a closer look at the fur. "Definitely a riolu's. Good eye Gardevoir."

"I try," Gardevoir's face contorted into a smug grin, as he twirled the fur around his finger. "Oh? What's that?" Surprise filled his gaze, as he pointed at the floor near the bank. I took a closer look, seeing a patch of chocolate coloured fur.

"More fur," I picked it up, looking at it. "Someone's clearly still moulting. Looks like a zigzagoon's, a raticade's, perhaps."

"Irrelevant. That ain't useful for our search," the panda growled, growing more impatient "now are we going to get moving? Or are we going to mull over some fur?!"

"No, possible ally. This mustn't go unnoticed. Bring it with you Bisharp. Gardevoir can analyse it as we move." Aegislash suggested as he moved up a flight of stairs, the other two following.

I stood frozen for a little bit, calculating how the interloper could have already made an alley. I shook my head, simply concluding that it was just chance, and it was entirely unrelated, as I jogged after the other three.

We walked through a large, luscious jungle of sorts, a thick silence hanging over the moist air, following a set of footprints in the dirt road that Gardevoir has since confirmed to be a riolu's, his hindsight ability coming in handy. I was personally more interested in my surroundings, rather than the mission itself. I was almost enjoying myself, when a certain gruff panda had to break the silence.

"Does this Felicity Creek have any...places to have fun…?" He asked, his hands resting on the back of his head.

I scoffed at him "it's bound to have bars or recreational areas. It's the capital of—" I froze myself when I actually got his meaning, disgust overpowering me.

"I dunno Pan, I do hear they have a pub with several lopunny 'servants'," Gardevoir laughed suggestively "perhaps they could tickle your fancy. So to speak."

"They degrade themselves, and others too." My eye twitched, as I scowled at them. Gardevoir and Pangoro just stared down at me with unamused expressions, before continuing on to speil, disregarding me entirely, to which irritated me immensely.

"Don't forget the mission," Aegislash barked from up front "and don't waste time! Or I'll cut you down myself! Now shut up, and get ready to sit down, because this is going to be quite the long boat trip ahead of us!" He pointed out a pier in the distance, with a large line.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" I added, taking the opportunity to remove this disgusting cloth from my body without hesitation. "Unless we want to be obvious targets, I implore you all to remove these ridiculous things." I let my cape fall to the ground.

The other three scowl at me simultaneously as they began unclipping their symbols of power.

"To disregard thy cape in such manner...is an insult to Lord Starmie," Aegislash scolded me, handing his cape to Gardevoir, as did Pangoro "you are proving yourself to be quite the pathetic knight. Keep it up, and we will kill you."

"Hmph." I kicked my cape onto Gardevoir's head, as he mumbled obscenities under his breath, as the abundance of purple cloth disappeared in a flash of light, revealing Gardevoir's less than amused face. "Like Aegislash said. We have no time to waste. Let's go." I shrugged, walking past them, heading towards the boat on my own, admittedly feeling a tad vulnerable without the cape. But as long as I still had my blades to do the talking, I was more than happy to ditch that hideous hindrance.

"Where do you even put those things anyways…?" I heard Pangoro ask from behind, likely to the dress wearing idiot.

"Simple; it's none of your business. Would you ask Lord Starmie about where he keeps his belongings?"

"Well, you ain't Starmie, maybe I'll tell the lord you're comparin' yerself to 'im, just for laughs."

"Yes, that would be rather humorous...he'd probably disintegrate you on the spot too for bothering him."

The two bantered annoyingly for what felt like hours as we waited in line for the boat, without so much as a peep out of Aegislash or I. This journey was going to be long and tedious, and it'd be only worse to humour those two idiots for any longer than I already have. With some hope, the interloper shouldn't of traveled very far…

* * *

 ** _End of chapter 3_**

(AN) s-six thousand words?! I must have been on a roll! That's the single longest chapter I've ever written, and I'm very proud of it. But what matters more is what yall thought of it.

This has been TheLastRanger signing off.

Peace.


	4. Chapter 4: A Wolfe Never Yields

(AN) Before we begin, I'd like to thank my buddy TheGOAT for being my second beta for this chapter, as well as teaching me a few things I didn't know about writing. I implore you to check him out if you have the chance!

Many thanks, Goatbro! You da bes!

But enough of that, we have a story to continue.

Let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4: A Wolfe Never Yields**_

 **Hazel**

The Sapphire Library loomed over the city like a mighty pillar ascending far into the sky, shadowing an entire city block. The building had to be at least five stories tall. All of what I'd heard about this place was true, and it was spectacular. Though I did note something in particular...a dense congregation of green trees that dotted the base of the tower…? How on Earth did they manage to fit a forest in the middle of a city…?

Then something else struck me.

The forest was moving.

"Matt…?" He silently turned to me as I spoke, his brow slightly raised. "Do you see that…?"

"See what?" He peered around with his hand on his forehead, probably to keep the sun out of his eyes. "I'm not seeing anything."

"Look, over at the base of the ivory tower. Is that forest moving…? Or are my eyes just playing up again?"

"I think it might be moving actually…" he squinted. "That's...not right…"

I smiled playfully at him, starting to slowly walk towards the somewhat distant library. "Let's investigate! Not everyday you see an anomaly like this. I'mma need to take notes." I ran ahead of him, much to his dismay, as he had to quickly chase after me. I had to say, he had good legs for a two-legger, as he could easily catch up to me.

"You could at least give me a warning before running!" He jogged by my side. "Actually why are we still running? The library isn't going anywhere anytime soon!"

"But that forest is going somewhere! You can slow down if you want, but I need the workout!"

He huffed, peering at all the eyes on us as we ran through the park together towards the library. I frowned as I got the impression that he wasn't a fan of attention. I started to slow down into a light jog, considering Matt's dislike of crowds.

We eventually arrived at the base of the tower, where the moving forest was located. I noted the sheer amount of pokemon likely here for the same reasons as us. The mass of trees seemed to just be moving not to go anywhere, but instead, like a crowd of people would.

Yet another realisation dawned upon me. This wasn't a phenomenon or anomaly. Instead, it was a migrating herd of Torterra! Sheer awe took over as I just found myself staring at the gargantuan creatures, who socialised with smaller onlookers, many of whom rested on the backs of the great beasts. Some simply lounged about in the shade of their trees, others ate nuts growing on their backs.

I couldn't help but quietly squeal when I saw many of the herd's turtwig children weaving in and out of their legs excitedly, playing with the other kids of the city. It was plain adorableness in pokemon form.

Matt had an expression of sheer awe on his face, his eyes repeatedly flicking to the giant creature's congregation. His jaw was practically touching the floor.

"Amazing, aren't they?" I asked him, my smile widening at the breathtaking display "Lucky we just happened to catch them as we arrived. Very lucky indeed."

"...Wow...they're…" he gasped, at a complete loss for words "...So big…"

"I need to speak with one of them. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Maybe." I began searching for a suitable torterra to interview, before something bumped into me. It was a little turtwig! He likely just learned to walk, as he struggled to keep balanced. I couldn't help but lower myself to the little fella's eye level. "'Ello there! Aren't you just a little cutie? Where's your mummy and daddy?"

He just tilted his head adorably at me, clearly not getting the point. He stared at me blankly for a little bit, (not unlike Matt would, thinking about it) before almost walking past me, interrupted only by a large vine emerging from the crowd and wrapping itself around the baby's hind leg and dragging him away. I would have been shocked, but the kid wasn't showing any signs of discomfort or pain, so he must be used to this.

I decided to follow where the vine was headed, just to see if the little guy was fine. I swerved under and around the sentient forest with Matt closely in tow. Eventually reaching the centre of the gathering, we saw the baby, who was being held by a torterra who was notably larger than the rest of its kind.

"Now now little one. How will you ever find the way if you keep running off like that?" He calmly said to the child in an aged, gentle voice. Carefully lifting him up and placing him up onto a rock on his back, his eyes slowly turn towards Matt and I. "Oh, hello children," he warmly greeted us, turning towards us, shaking the ground below slightly with each step. "Aren't you two just the cutest little things? I see you followed my vines."

"Mhmm! I was actually looking for one of you to talk to;" I nodded respectfully at the larger being. "if that's alright with you."

"Hmmm…" he audibly contemplated, rubbing his beak with a vine. "I suppose that's alright. The Matriarch said we'd be staying overnight...anyway, you may call me Firmis. Like everyone does."

"Good to meet you! My name is Hazel and that's Matt!"

"H-hello…" Matt mumbled in sheer awe at what he saw.

"Don't be shy child...I only bite when agitated." He let out a hearty laugh, displaying his extremely powerful beak whilst offering a vine each for Matt and I, which we politely took. "Ask away!"

"Very well Firmis, first of all, what Great Herd is this? I've heard of many famous herds."

"This is the Riverbend Herd, my child. We've been traversing this waterway for the good part of...what? Fifteen-hundred years. Give or take. Long enough to have coexisted with the humans. I don't keep track of time," He answered, as I jotted down his answers. "Heck, I think the matriarch had a human master once." He peered over to the largest member of the herd, who stood taller and mightier than the rest of the herd.

"Wow...a human master…? Did she ever fight in the Great War?" I asked, desperate for an answer. Firmis let out an extensive 'hmm' while rubbing his chin with a vine.

"I'm quite uncertain actually. She's wise, but never speaks about those times. I was probably only a little turtwig then...speaking of, excuse me for a moment," The vine he was using to scratch his chin suddenly went between Matt's legs, and grabbed something behind the riolu; who just stood there with an expression of pure horror and embarrassment. The vine started pulling again, and in its grasp; surprise surprise, was the baby turtwig. "Come on you little scamp. At least wait until I'm finished speaking before you run away."

"He's gonna grow up to be an adventurer one day," I laughed, watching Firmis struggle to keep his child in check. "I'm sure of it."

"He'll be something alright…" Firmis sighed heavily, shaking his head. "And don't try biting my vines off either scamp!" He winced in slight pain. "Little fella's got a beak to him. Still, back to your questions 'lil lady...ow..."

I was internally flattered at his words. Likely he was referring to my western accent, though my sharp and curious mind wanted more information, so I needed to quench that thirst that always nagged at me.

"Tell me about your life Firmis, you grew up in the shadow of the Great War, you must have a great deal to tell; if that's alright with you." I asked with a great amount of eagerness and excitement as I twirled my pencil around in my paw. "I'm desperate to know."

"Are you publishing this or something…?" Matt asked after the awkward silence he's been practicing for the last few minutes.

"Correct," I replied, barely looking at the blue canine. "I've been compiling information for five years now, I'm not exactly going to avoid sharing it y'know."

"'Lil Lady's an author I see," Firmis laughed a hearty laugh, before wincing as had bit him again. "But unfortunately, I don't have much to actually tell you about myself. I'm only seven hundred years young!" I couldn't even tell if that was a joke or not, but the elder continued to chuckle. "But the Matriarch probably knows a bit more than I would. She knows everything."

"Might I ask why you keep calling her 'the Matriarch'? I'm just curious," I asked, continuing to twirl the pencil around in my paw.

"Well, she's the oldest mother here. She's actually my grandmother," he simply replied, looking westward to the largest of the torterra, who was situated at the front of the herd. "Without her I wouldn't have my mate...and by extension, this little bundle of…" Firmis' casual face turned to that of unamusement, as again, he shot a vine off away from him and dragging the baby back by the leg. Again. "...joy..."

I could hardly contain my giggles at this adorable situation happening before me. Even Matt was letting out the occasional quiet chuckle, which was a first.

"Next time you run off, I'm gonna let you go wherever you want. Less weeds on my back," Firmis sarcastically but playfully told his child off; who lightly growled at him. "Don't give me that lip boy! I'm complimenting you! You can practically start your own herd!"

My laughter could no longer contain itself as I burst into sheer hysterics, which I was aware bothered Matt. But this was golden. Reminded me of daddy...oh...my laughter immediately died down when I started to reminisce about why I'm constantly on the road...damn it Hazel...I quickly pushed my thoughts aside into the depths of my psyche, to the best of my ability. I coughed to gain the torterra's attention, as well as to distract myself from my recurring memories. Firmis' large eyes shifted off of his baby and peered down to me.

"Do...do you think it would be at all possible to speak to the Matriarch…?" I asked him politely, tilting my head at him, my tail wagging slightly. "I mean, it's alright if she's too busy to speak with us…"

"Unfortunately that's the case 'lil lady. Running a herd is quite...draining." He shot an occasional glance to the front of the forest-like congregation, his face turned to that of a distant expression. "Especially when you've been leading the way for the good part of a thousand years."

I pouted in disappointment, my tail lowering slightly. I simply adjusted my glasses and overviewed my book. I bit my lip as my mind drew blank, as I had no idea what else to ask. I cursed my inability to come up with a multitude of questions on the spot. I just made awkward eye contact with the torterra. I nervously coughed as I closed my book and smiled.

"Alright Firmis, I think that might all the questions I have for right now, but I might have more after Matt and I investigate that library over there. Thank you very much for answering my questions."

"It's been my pleasure 'lil lady." He happily nodded with a big smile, which quickly faded as he winced upon being bitten again. "Do you mind?! I-! Look, I gotta get this one under control! But if you want to chat again, I'll be here all day."

Firmis turned around to speak to what I'm assuming was his mate, complaining about why it was always him that got bitten, to which she simply laughed and shook her massive head. I couldn't help but chuckle at the family, before moving to look at Matt, who just stood there frozen with a somewhat bewildered look on his face. I tilted my head at Matt, who stared blankly into space.

"What's the matter? Delcatty got your tongue?"

"What?" He tilted his head, his aura appendages and ears drooping to one side, very cutely, I might add. "Oh, it's just...just...I've never seen pokemon quite this...big before…" He scratched the ground with feet, nervously eyeing the large herd around us. "It's breathtaking…"

"I know right! It's bloody lucky we just happened upon a migrating herd of torterra literally the day we arrived! Blimey we're a lucky bunch!" I laughed, removing my glasses and putting them away. "alrighty, let's not doddle any longer. We need to check out the library now! Lets go, Matty boy!"

I skipped towards the large tower with Matt in tow.

"Stop running ahead! And don't call me Matty!"

* * *

 **Matt**

Roughly five minutes had passed since we had spoken with Firmis, as we now arrived at the base of the great tower, which was connected to the park platform via a large marble bridge. The bridge was decorated with several large torches across both sides, leading to a set of ginormous wooden doors. I started to feel queasy as I glanced upwards to the spiral building that seemed to ascend to the very heavens. I wasn't too sure if it was real or inside my head, but the sounds of the city seemed to have been drowned out entirely by some unknown force, leaving only the sound of blowing wind and flowing water in its wake. I felt a cold sweat form on my brow and my ears and tail droop as an extremely powerful feeling of deja vu filled my body.

"H-Hazel…? A-are you sure about this…?" I practically whimpered, my feet refusing to move onto the bridge. "I'm getting some bad vibes here…"

"Bad vibes…? Oh! Is it because it's an old human building? Don't worry, I doubt there are even humans in there." She gave a reassuring smile, which alleviated some of the stress. "I promise you...maybe...look, if there was a human hiding out in there...we'd be in trouble…" Her cheery face dropped, as she gave a worried glance to the building (which just put me further on edge) before letting out an amused chuckle. "Nah mate, I'm just 'avin a giggle!"

I continued to stare at the tower as if it was going to lunge at me, my arm instinctively reaching for my armpit for whatever reason. I refused to blink or compromise at the building. I even growled at the tower, which caught me off guard completely...this new body was something else entirely...This moment of defensiveness was broken by a warm pressure appearing on my foot and squeezing it. My arm immediately dropped as I looked down at a certain eevee, who had her paw gently on my foot, her eyes full of worry.

"A-are you ok? Y-you're scaring me…" Her ears drooped, her tail between her legs. "Matt…? We don't have to go in if you don't want to..."

I nodded slightly, kneeling down to her and giving her shoulder a supportive hand.

"I-I'm fine...believe me," I gave her a half smile. "It's just...just...don't worry about it…"

Her hand slithered off my foot as she looked away from me with a stubborn expression on her kind face.

"Hmph. That means I just gave you a foot massage for nothing…" She huffed, not bothering to make eye contact with me, before speaking up again, the same concern from before subtly lining her voice. "Are you sure you want to go in…?"

"Yes…"

We nodded to each other as we composed ourselves and made our way to across the bridge, to the large doors.

With a quite a bit of trouble, we finally managed to open the two massive wooden doors of the Sapphire Library, which lead into a massive grey foyer, dimly illuminated by an ominous blue light. The ambient sound of wind gently blowing throughout the building was all that could be heard. We slowly stepped inside, with Hazel taking the lead, whilst I nervously watched her as she walked into the entryway, sceptical about the unwelcoming interior of this building, of course Hazel paid little to no attention to me as she practically jogged to the centre of room, staring up at a statue of some sort. I was about to follow, but I heard a voice call out from behind.

"Hold the door please!" I turned around, still using my body to hold the door open. The bayleef from before was lightly jogging towards the entrance, with her chikorita in tow, though the poor girl could hardly keep up. "Thank you…" she huffed, entering the doorway, waiting for her counterpart to enter as well. "Honestly, these doors are a nightmare to open with vines."

"Aww c'mon sis...can't we just skip this class today…? Doesn't the shop need us…?" Her little sister whined, peering out to the outside from the door, probably only wanting some sunlight.

"Mr. Ferrothorn said he will run the berry stand today," She gave a small smile, before it faded slightly, as she averted her gaze from her sister "It's not like we get much business anyway…" she mumbled after her sister walked ahead of her, towards where Hazel was. I felt a wave of pity come over me as I closed the door, while watching the bayleef sigh. I made a mental note to visit her stand at some point after we're done here.

The heavy doors shut with a loud, echoing thud, even despite my best efforts to close it as slowly and as quietly as physically possible. The sounds of the outside world were drowned out, as it felt like we entered a completely different world entirely. Even the humidity of outside had disappeared, replaced by a certain coolness that was almost exclusive to stone buildings.

I joined the other three at the base of the large statue, noticing five doors in a semicircle formation on the front wall of the circular room, all colour coded, with different banners on either side of a door, all representing different subject matters.

I shifted my attention up at the statue, which depicted two creatures locked in combat. One a great quadruped made of marble, with a great golden ring around its waist, while the other was an armoured bipedal creature of gold, it's face obscured by a hood. In its gauntleted grasp, was a large sword, which it tried to swing at the larger creature. I could tell that this was no pokemon, its build matched that of a human of some kind. Looking down at a sign at the base of the monument, I read aloud:

"Clash of Divinity: Arceus and Algaloe…"

These names...they were familiar to me. I had read them in Hazel's book.

I shifted my attention to Hazel, who looked up at the statue with glistening eyes, her muzzle agape. Even I had to admit, this statue was beyond beautiful, plus it peaked my curiosity of this location. I had believed this place would've been nothing more than the average library. I was wrong. Even the two sisters had stopped to marvel in its glory, even past my impression that they came here regularly.

"It's beautiful isn't it, Matt?" Hazel's eyes flicked to me, still shining with childlike wonder. "Those are the two leaders of the pokemon and human pantheons, if you didn't know...well, I mean you're bound to know Arceus, every pokemon knows him...but the name Algaloe has been almost entirely forgotten over time." She lectured me, smiling widely. "I've actually written a section about this particular subject in my book, If you wanted to read about it at all."

"Maybe we could read about it together if we get a moment to sit down," I suggested while rubbing my chin and staring up at the huge statue that was probably ancient. The longer I stayed in this world, the more amazed and bewildered I got. I felt like I was going to have sensory overload, as I still felt rather uneasy about everything here, Hazel being the only thing keeping me in check.

"Ooh, that sounds good!" Hazel happily chirped, her tail wagging excitedly. "Hopefully we get actually moment to sit down. Because we're gonna be here for a while."

"How long is a 'while' exactly…?"

"About ten to twelve hours." She stared in a very 'matter of fact' sort of way, which worried me, while she gave me a calm smile. "Give or take. Depends on how quickly it takes for me to tire out."

"H-how many books are you planning on reading exactly…?" A cool sweat began to run down my brow, as I tried to look for even one hint that she was bluffing, yet her face was completely serious. Out of everyone in the world to know about my kind, I just _had_ to get roped in with this one. I wasn't sure if I could even tell the truth to this girl anytime soon; she was probably going to be muzzle deep in literature. Why did I have to pick the library to confess to her in…?! That sounded weirder than it should have been...Gah...This wasn't helping any!

"Hmm…" She squinted at the statue, rubbing the bottom of her muzzle thoughtfully. "It depends, are you taking into consideration if I'm not going to finish any of the books? Because if so…I'd probably say roughly...one hundred and fifty books...minimum." She nodded with confidence as my jaw proceed to unhinge. Her collected smile began to widen into an expression I was sadly all too familiar with, a look that she makes before exploding in that trademark guffaw of hers.

I quickly looked at chikorita and bayleef who gazed at us strangely, before I quickly brought a single finger up to my lips and quietly shushed the eevee.

"This is a library!" I hissed at her from behind my finger. "Do you wanna be kicked out?!"

Hazel immediately shut her mouth tightly and nodded in embarrassment and scanned her surroundings.

"S-sorry…" She smiled bashfully, chuckling slightly. "A-anyway, what's the plan…? What are you going to do? Because I'm heading to the Archive Wing; the one that's over there" She pointed westward, at a doorway marked by two purple banners, with an eye in the center.

My eyes shifted to the next door over, marked by orange banners, with the Virtue symbol decorating it, which immediately caught all of my attention, drawing me to that wing specifically.

"Ooh! The Museum of Warlords wing! That sounds fun! I'll join you there in a few hours! Will you be ok on your own?"

"I'll be fine Hazel," I assure her with a fake smile and nod. "I guess I'll see you in a while then."

"Righty-o. Don't have too much fun without me!" She giggled and winked at me, before disappearing into the Archive Wing, never to be seen again by mortal eyes, I presumed.

I was now completely alone as I slowly made my way into the Museum Wing, the eerie wind sending chills down my spine. I somewhat regretted splitting up with that eevee, because of her chipper attitude that was enough to brighten anything's day. Walking through the entryway, I appeared to be in a large dome room, with many human artifacts decorating the area, from weapons, to armour, to even vehicles. I could feel some strange mixture of awe, fear and deja vu all mixing within my subconscious.

I was stunned as I made my way through display after display of human relics of all sorts, from weaponry, technology, to even agricultural machinery. This place...I...I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. I felt at home almost, among the weapons and metal. But...rage and sadness were also present within my psyche. I wanted to go home, a home I knew absolutely nothing about, but I..I just wanted to be me again...this body wasn't my own, I wasn't meant to be this creature. I looked down at my thumbless paws, tears beginning to sting the corners of my eyes along with the feeling that my nose was beginning to seal shut. I couldn't take it any longer, as I started to sob quietly, leaning up against the side of a huge metal box shaped vehicle. What did I ever do to deserve this horrible fate?! God, answer me please!

Nothing...of course…

I collapsed into the fetal position, as depression began to overcome me out of nowhere. I began to gently rock myself back and forth. I must have looked utterly pathetic, but I didn't care.

"James...Jeb...where are you…?" I sobbed, yearning for something...anything, to provide me with any comfort.

I felt all hope draining from my body as I sunk lower and lower into the ball I was curled into. I just cried for my dad. I was quite glad that I split up with Hazel, as she'd probably worry like mad. I barely managed to look upwards, towards a large banner which I had assumed was propaganda.

It displayed a beast-like man wearing a tattered army uniform of some kind, his hands in a crossed formation, his fingers twisted into claws, and he gave the most monstrous smile I had ever seen, along with a mighty beard around his terrifying expression. He also wore an eyepatch. Surrounding him was fire that engulfed a map of what I'm assuming is this land. Above him, in bright red text, the propaganda spelled something out.

"The Wolf stalks, and the Wolf mauls! Don't let him consume you! Inform your local Virtue Corporation enforcer if you see any resistance activity immediately! "

Something about that man...he was extremely familiar to me...a feeling of dizziness and disorientation began overwhelming me once again. I was quick to my feet with panic, though my legs immediately buckled: I was going to have a flashback I think...Why now-?!

With great speed, and without self control, I placed one wrist on top of the other, crossing my arms and sprawling my hands into claws, mimicking this banner. Licking my lips and inhaling, I roared a phrase I had never heard before, with an unexpected amount of ferocity and vigor:

 _ **"A Wolfe Never Yields!"**_

The sentence echoed throughout the room, my voice filled with might and willpower, along with a gravelly undertone...what was that?! Why did I say that?! I hoped no one heard...before I could ponder with what I just had said, my vision began to turn blue once more. In my last few brief moments of fading consciousness, I scoped out a couch! Whether or not it was a display piece or simply something for visitors to relax on, was a genuine question I had, but there was obviously no time to ponder at the moment. I jumped upon the furniture, hoping it would trick anyone who would come across me into thinking I tired myself out and took a quick snooze. But my thoughts began to drift, as this vision began to take a more tangible state…

* * *

 _"And that is what we say in the face of danger, kids,_ " A familiar voice explained as my opaque blue vision came to me. But the voice belonged to James! _"We never yield. No matter what. Even if the situation is at the most dire point. We die on our own damn terms. Understood?_ "

 _"Sir yes Sir!"_ Two voices called back to James- two boys I assumed were Jeb and I.

 _"Good stuff! Now, I think you are ready..."_ Dad continued, as something new in the vision started to appear; a small opening in the blue plane, almost like a window to the past. What I saw was limited, but I could specifically make out a large rocky mountain range in the distance. _"...Of course your mother says otherwise...but...she isn't here right now...so, I believe it is time for you to be trained in firearm handling…"_

From my limited vision, I saw my father James. His build was...monstrous. Even at a distance, I barely stood up to his chest. His face was pale, but rugged, with a black beard and short, well kept hair of matching colour. Pity I couldn't see his eyes through his sunglasses though. In his arms, he held two hunting rifles of some kind, both by the foregrips and aiming them skyward.

 _"Now. Jeb. I know you're responsible enough to wield this. Take it."_

My brother nodded and carefully took the gun from James' grasp, thoroughly checking that the chamber was unloaded. Once he deemed that it was safe, Jeb relaxed and held it properly, his trigger finger resting on the grip, along with the rest of his hand. He occasionally glanced towards me with familiar brown eyes, revealing that he was the spitting image of James, even going so far as to start growing a beard, though it was barely stubble at this point.

 _"Now. Matthew,"_ James began, lowering his sunglasses to make eye contact with me, his irises the same hue of brown as mine. His once calm changed into a glare of sorts. _"This is not a toy. It never will be. Ever. This is a real-life firearm. Not like the special effects crap that comes out of PokeStar Studios. Am I clear? Again, just to rub it in; if you're not careful with this, you can, and will kill somebody. If you're not sure, just tell me, and we don't have to continue, it's all up to you." His harsh glare softened, as he placed his free hand on my shoulder, squeezing it tightly, while making sure that his other hand is pointing the gun away from me._

My past self gulped, staring at my dad, then to my brother, who had a somewhat worried expression on his face. _"Dad, he's clearly uncomfortable with this at the moment. Maybe we should have brought Lucy along with us, she might help reassure him about—"_

 _"N-no...I...understand what dad is saying."_ I quietly muttered with a nervous voice, staring at the ground. _"I..,think I'm ready."_

 _"That's my boy."_ James smiled warmly at me as he stood up at full height, which dwarfed me completely. _"Now. I'd give you my gun...but it might take your arm off. So instead...Lady! C'mere girl_!"

Emerging from behind my beast of a father, was a (what I was assuming was female, judging by the size of her hips and small body shape) lucario, carrying a smaller rifle case in her paws delicately. She stopped by James' side, her tail wagged excitingly. This lucario...was she the reason I was a riolu? Or was that just purely coincidental? She took a few steps towards me and offered the case, her expression that of pure warmth and love.

With slight hesitation, I took the gun case in one hand and stroked the underside of her muzzle with the other; to which she cooed in delight at, angling her head into my hand. I felt genuine warmth from this flashback as everyone appeared to be happy in this scene. I wanted to stay in this vision for as long as possible. Heck, maybe even forever…

After opening the case and removing its contents, I now held my weapon; a much smaller hunting rifle, more akin to what an adolescent child would wield. My younger self examined the weapon closely, mimicking the way Jeb and James held their rifles. I made sure to keep my finger away from the trigger, and that my grasp was firm as to not drop it. I must've known it was unloaded, but I still wasn't taking any chances by the looks of things. I looked from my weapon, then back to Dad, who nodded at me with a smile.

 _"You're doing good son. Now, let's start off with the basics: I can see that you're practicing good trigger discipline. Now. What do you do first? What did your brother do as soon as he held his weapon?"_

I made subtle glances towards Jeb, and my rifle, probably trying to remember what he did. I suddenly clicked in realisation and rotated the bolt upwards, then pulled it back, opening the chamber. I carefully examined where the bullet would go, eventually determining that the firearm was unloaded. I glanced back at my dad who smiled and nodded at me. Once we knew it was safe, I eased up slightly.

 _"Next. I want you to aim at that target. The gun isn't loaded, obviously, so go ahead and take aim."_ James instructed, moving out the way of a practice dummy. Jeb and Lady also moved out of the way. Once they were out of view, I raised my gun, before a shout stopped me from aiming any further. _"Stop! You've broken one of the main rules of gunplay. Always, check your surroundings, no matter what. Check every angle, forwards, backwards, left and right. Up and down too. Who knows what might be hiding out of sight?"_

 _"O-Oh...sorry…"_ I lowered the gun, before examining the environment around me. We appeared to be in a very rocky, yet grassy area, likely at the base of a mountain, where a river flowed not too far away from us. A mountain range loomed off into the horizon, with a large forest in between it and us. To my right, built in the shadow of a small alcove of trees, was a traditional log cabin, with a car parked outside. It was utterly breathtaking, and I took a mental note of this area; just in case this was my home, and Dad was still there. Sadly my examination of the environment was cut short when I looked back at the target and took aim, carefully looking down the sights. The sound of a metallic click was all that was heard as I pulled the trigger, as the gun was not loaded.

 _"Ha! Little pup's a fast learner it seems!"_ Jeb guffawed heartily, his mighty laugh echoing throughout the silent environment. _"A real marksman in the making!"_

 _"He's faster than you were, thats for sure."_ James let out a low chuckle and shook his head. Jeb just blushed and avoided mine and James' gaze.

 _"I-I was sick that day…"_

 _"It took you a week to learn proper trigger discipline. Were you sick for that entire week? And if so you were very active for a sick kid…"_ Dad stroked his beard in a faux-wise way.

 _"Sh-shut up dad…"_

James let out a laugh that was practically the same as Jeb's, but much louder and filled with sheer might, though, it died down as his serious demeanour returned.

 _"Now...onto loading your weapon…"_

This vision brought warmth onto my heart as I could see my family, as well as a feeling of pure determination to find them. I couldn't just give up and cry, not yet anyway. I was a Wolfe. And a Wolfe never yields! I was going to stop at nothing to find them, even if it took years! I'd tolerate this awful body! But for now, I just let the vision play it's coarse and maybe teach me a thing or two...who knew? This info might help me out in the future...

* * *

 _Elsewhere…_

 **Sir Bisharp**

Sleep was something that eluded me, as I lay wide awake on the uncomfortable wooden bench of this damn boat, shivering because we didn't bring a blanket with us. I felt like stabbing something, but I needed to hold off on that until our destined meeting with the Interloper. For the meantime, I fiddled around with the feather in my mouth, pushing it from side to side with my tongue. It was a...less-than-thrilling passtime. With a groan, I kicked myself upright, crossing my legs to sit. I peered around to see what everyone else was up to on this moonlit night. Pangoro just slept, snoring as loudly as possible, which just furthered my urge to stab something. Aegislash just sat on a corner of the boat, his eye pressed shut. I wasn't too sure if he was sleeping, or just meditating. Either way, as long as he wasn't hounding on me like he always did, I was fine.

But I couldn't see the fourth knight with the other two. He often had a nasty habit of disappearing, a habit which makes me uneasy; for I didn't like that man probing around where he doesn't belong. I hastily scanned the boat, looking at all the sleeping passengers, before my eyes landed upon Gardevoir sitting on the bow of the boat, dangling his legs off the edge and singing gently. I let out a sigh of relief when I spotted him, glad that he wasn't ready to cut my throat or try and inquire every secret of mine. Sadly, he stopped his song when he realized I was watching, twisting his body around to face me and waving his arm as if he were summoning me. I dropped my shoulders and approached him slowly, as I knew that ignoring him would be worse than speaking to him. I crossed my arms and took a seat next to Gardevoir on the edge of the boat.

"Evening shorty! Wonderful bright night tonight? Isn't it?" He smiled and pointed upwards to the night sky above, at all of the stars that beautifully illuminated the darkness.

"Quite. Why are you still awake?"

"Oh, me? I'm flattered you're so concerned for me wellbeing! I'm just giddy with anticipation! That little riolu won't know what hit him! Aha...still, isn't it wonderful to be back in the normal world again?" His red eyes sparkled with a disgusting amount of enthusiasm and optimism.

"Hmph. I suppose anywhere else is better than the Obelisk…" I looked down at my reflection and sighed, how I always took my time here for granted. "And I wasn't concerned for you. I don't want you getting in my way."

"Aww...just when I thought you were warming up to me…" Gardevoir pouted and dropped his head in sadness, though he couldn't keep this guise as he began to laugh under his breath. "Ahaha...still, hopefully there is somewhere in town where I can sing for an audience. I've yearned for a spotlight again...also the feeling of an adoring fan wrapped around my—"

"Is that all you think about?!" I interrupted him, shooting the nastiest glare I could possibly give to Gardevoir; who seemed shocked at first, before smiling cruelly at me.

"Dear Bisharp, really you need to stop being such a prude. I live a simple life of three principles: Sing, Screw, and Slaughter! You should try it out sometime, maybe then you'll be as happy as me."

"You sicken me." I scoffed, averting my gaze away from the wanton knight, instead choosing to focus on the jungle that surrounded the river. "Anyway. That fur we acquired earlier, have you analysed it yet? To whom does it belong to?"

"Ah! Well, in my my expert opinion, I have concluded that it belongs to...an adorable little eevee. Though I cannot determine the age or gender. Though that's not of any concern, what damage can a tiny riolu and eevee possibly do to us?"

I stood up at full height and yawned, with exhaustion finally kicking in, that's what happens when you interact with him for more than three sentences I presumed.

"Hmph, I—"

"What's with it you and saying 'Hmph' all the time?! It's really quite immature and childish and I suggest you stop it. It's really getting under my skin." Gardevoir interrupted, an irritated scowl in his normally cheerful face.

"Quiet you. Like I was about to say; the second you underestimate your opponent, is the second you lose the fight. I suggest that you open your ears and take my advice to heart. It might just save your life." I turned on my heels and walked away, back to my seat.

"What do you know?! Our squad has conquered all that stood in our way, even before you joined! To suggest we might possibly lose to a mutt is preposterous! And not to mention treason!"

Rolling my eyes, I decided to ignore Gardevoir for the time being, as I'm sure a brick wall could hold a more engaging conversation than him, as well as the fact that he was an attention whore. I lay my head down and tightly shut my eyes, trying my best not to react to the whining knight, hoping to Arceus above that he'd shut the hell up or I'd fall asleep soon, whatever came first…

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter**_


	5. Chapter 5: Museum Madness-Part 1

_**Chapter 5: Museum Madness-part 1**_

* * *

 **Sir Bisharp**

Hmph...at long last. Felicity Creek. The sight of the Eastern Reach's capital city in the distance lightened my mood somewhat, as I could finally move around again. My legs ached from sitting down for too long, and my head lightly thumped with pain; this was probably because that bastard in green kept me up all night with his incessant complaining. That was more than likely an attempt to wear me out as much as possible. And the worst part was...it worked. I silently yawned and took in the late morning sun, along with the pleasant nature smell of the water and wildlife.

It was a shame though. We probably wouldn't get to spend very long outside of the Obelisk. Once this mission was complete, it would be back to that gloomy hellhole for god knows how long. A week? A month? A year?! Ugh...the mere thought of Starmie's base of operations made me nauseous. Still...for what reason would he send all four of us in to eliminate this target…? I have never properly understood the master's reasonings...He could have at least sent me alone to assassinate this 'Interloper.' That way my fellow knights wouldn't interfere like they always did. I wanted to be as prepared as possible for this inevitable fight that was on the horizon.

"Good morning knights…" Aegislash yawned from behind. He sounded very rested for once. "The time has come at last. I take it everyone is well rested and prepared?"

"Absolutely exquisitely! The bench was _very_ comfortable. In fact, I can't feel my spine anymore—" Gardevoir sarcastically chortled.

"Arceus above, do you ever shut up?!" A very sleepy Pangoro complained with a growl, probably attracting strange looks from all of the other passengers of the boat, like the loud-mouthed idiot he was. "Or are you bloody incapable of being quiet?!"

"I mean, on the contrary, I was quiet for about seven hours…"'

"And now you're just giving me a heap of cheek now! I should—"

"Hmph. How about you both shut it? That would work too," I scoffed, turning my whole body around so I wouldn't be facing those buffoons anymore. "Or, do you both get uncomfortable when you're not needlessly bickering?"

"Excuse me?! Oh, I didn't know mister 'all brood and no skill' had a platform to stand on!" I wasn't even looking, but I just knew Gardevoir's glare was like that of a thousand daggers.

N-no skill?! Who did he think he was to question my skill?! N-no...Bisharp...remain calm...remain calm...I clenched my hands together and grimaced, staring off at the city that drew ever closer. I was hopeful that we would split up once we arrived at our destination because spending any more time with these cretins was never a good thing.

"Silence! All three of you! I will not tolerate you internally bickering among yourselves like mere children. As a team, we must operate efficiently and without hesitation!" Aegislash lectured us, floating to the exit of the boat when we were almost at the docks. Gardevoir, Pangoro and I made varying noises of annoyance, following our commander.

Our transport finally came to a complete halt at a rather busy dock, which was under the watchful eyes of the magnemite police force; who no doubt would only serve to slow our mission down significantly. But such was life for us. We were the first on the solid ground, which was nice after spending so long sitting down on that dreadful boat. I stretched out again, letting my arms extend to their full length with a crack, which felt rather liberating.

Sadly, any feeling of liberation was shattered by a metal ball swooping down and conquering my peripheral vision. It's single eye scanned me closely and with much suspicion.

"Name?! Age?!" It demanded in an irritating metallic tone. "Quickly!"

"I need no fancy name, and I am seventeen." I simply responded, crossing my arms. "May I pass now?"

"Negative. What is the purpose of that?!" It pointed down to the sword that was attached to the back of my belt.

"..." My eye twitched. "..Self-defence." Simple, but to the point. That was how I liked it.

"Hmm...I suppose...But don't think that we're not onto you pal! Move along!"

Hmph...that was much simpler than expected. I brushed by the officer and waited for him to process my comrades. In the meantime, I scoped out a nearby bench which I sat on with crossed legs. I enjoyed the warm sun shining down upon my body; it was a lovely change from the cold tower I called home. I reclined slightly, sighing in a mixture of content and annoyance, and closing my eyes tightly. This was probably the closest thing to relaxation I was going to get for quite some time, and damn me if I wasn't going to take it for granted.

After a few minutes of me time, I heard the very wood I sat upon creak in agony as a great weight exerted itself upon the seat.

"Can you believe these twats seriously searched my fur for potential contraband?! What a load of shite!" Pangoro complained as he took up most of the bench.

"At least they didn't try and search under your dress. How uncouth!" A flustered Gardevoir slinked towards us, holding the sides of his frilly little hinderance together. "I should have a word with their manager! Or chief! Or commissioner! Or whoever runs this perverted sham!"

"Bloody disgrace if you ask me…" Pangoro huffed."How did they let him keep his crappy little knife so easily?" I could just tell that was directed towards me, who else would be the team's go-to punching bag?

Before I could even answer or defend myself, Aegislash finally joined us.

"Alright, Knights. Here's the plan: The interloper couldn't possibly have wandered far, so he must be about. We should split up and scour the city for the target," He explained confidently, his hands firmly behind his back. "Pangoro, you scout out the west, Gardevoir, go north. I shall search the east. Leaving you Bisharp, with the south. Any questions?"

I opened one eye. "And if we cannot find the target?"

"If we can't find him within two hours; we regroup in the centre of the city, at the base of that tower," he replied, pointing up to a great ivory tower that overshadowed the entire city practically. "Then we search as a team. Gardevoir, I trust that you can use that telepathy of yours to communicate with us mentally?"

"Of course. I promise I won't dig around everyone's subconsciousness. Well, not too much at least." He smiled that disgusting smile, as per usual. Thank the maker my dark typing made me naturally resilient to his madness.

"Alright, we are prepared. I wish you luck in your search, Knights." Aegislash peered at us one more time, before leaving the bench and proceeding up a flight of stairs that lead eastward.

The immeasurable weight on my right stopped torturing the poor bench by standing up and huffing away without so much as even speaking, leaving me alone with Gardevoir. Oh dear.

"Well, shorty? I guess it's time for us to separate, what a shame…" He sighed, dropping his shoulders. "I had hoped we could continue our conversation from last night...ah well. I suppose it is T-T-F-N. au-revoir."

And without a hitch, he left! Lucky me. Well, I was alone. Good. While this bench wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, I still found myself hesitant to even move. Ugh...but I had to...With much regret, I stood up and began my search for the interloper…

* * *

 _1 hour later…_

This town was surprisingly relaxing to stroll through. I still hadn't found the Interloper, but I doubted the others had even found a clue either, so I was fine. Thus far, I've scoured most of the southern city, but there's been no sign of our target...what to do, what to do…? I decided to end my search prematurely and wait at the...library…

I was an idiot. From what I had learned, that library was extremely famous for its human exhibit! If I were a human, that would be my first place to go! Hopefully, the other three didn't come to this conclusion also, as I could silently eliminate the target with as little interference as possible.

I turned on my heels and jogged away from the tavern I was about to enter, on my way to the Sapphire Library!

* * *

The sound of heavy doors violently slamming shut echoed throughout the foyer as I was finally inside the library. The sounds of billowing wind surrounded me as cautiously made my way to the centre of the room, to the base of a statue of our god and _their_ gods clashing in combat. I couldn't help but stare intently at its beauty. Whoever built this statue to pay tribute to the _human_ god was certainly an idiot, but I had to admit, they had some good craftsmanship skills...But this statue was of no importance or relevance to the mission, so I had to move on.

I scanned the semi-circular room, skimming over the several doors that decorated the walls. I wasn't too certain where these even led, so I made a random guess. I had picked out the door to the immediate left of the entrance and began to approach it, only to have something soft and fluffy bump into my leg. The creature was a small quadruped creature, coated with thick brown and cream coloured fur. It was an eevee!

"Oof...I-Uh...apologies mister…" She said in a very mousy, accented tone while scratching her paws together. She slowly looked up at me, humility obvious on her young face. However, the second she made eye contact, her face practically lit up like a star. "Ooh! That feather! It's beautiful! Where did ya find that?" She wagged her tail excitedly, trying to stand on her hinds in what I could only imagine was an attempt to get a better look at my prized possession. Heh...I guess I could have shown this off...I always did to those who inquired.'Twas a story I always loved to tell.

I opened my mouth and removed the rainbow feather from it and kneeling down to her level, allowing the girl to have a closer look.

"This feather means a lot to me...and I've had it for many years now." I tried my hardest not to brag too much to this girl. "it serves to remind me of my skill as a warrior...you see; I snagged this from Ho-oh herself."

"Wh-WHAT?! That's...that's so cool! Wow...a real-life run in with the Immortal Phoenix herself...you must be very lucky!" The eevee girl swooned. "Are you an adventurer?"

"You could say something along those lines, yes."

"You...wouldn't be part of one if those big rescue guilds or factions would you? Y'know, like the Minutemon?" She smiled excitedly at me, her eyes twinkling, not unlike the night sky. Though, something was nagging me about this eevee...why did I have this particular species in mind… ? "umm...hello?"

"O-oh! I apologise...I was just thinking about something…" I nervously rubbed the back of my head, before returning to her question. "No, I'm afraid. I'm a freelance adventurer more than anything…"

"Hmm. Alrighty then…still, would you be interested in an interview…? You have met the immortal Phoenix herself. That would be an amazing tale to tell! Hold on a second, I'mma go fetch my friend, he'd love to hear this too!" She ran by me with considerable speed, into a doorway marked with orange banners.

I just looked on in curiosity before remembering my mission, and walking down into the entryway I was already going to…

Wait a second...An eevee…? And she had a companion...Gardevoir told me about how the interloper had a—

Target acquired.

* * *

 **Matt**

" **Wake up Matt!"** Hazel's loud voice plunged me back into the real world as I jumped in fright and fell off the chair, onto the hard floor.

"Sir yes sir?!" I instinctively blurted out, looking up at Hazel, who was very upside down for whatever reason. "O-oh...hello Hazel."

"Um...out of all the weird things I've seen you do, that was the weirdest I think." She smiled playfully, suggesting she wasn't being all too serious "Anyway, up and at 'em private! So get up of the manky old floor! We still have a museum to explore!"

"Pr-private? Why am I the private?!"

"Because. I'm older than you, and I'm leading you around this place." She nodded confidently. "That's how it works, Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am sergeant..." I chuckled, picking myself off of the cold ground below. "Where now?"

"Actually...I was wanting to introduce you to this really cool guy I just met!"

She seemed really excited, which either meant one of two things; a lecture, or a LOT of running. Usually preceded by the other. No, I couldn't get sidetracked...she needed to know. Now.

"Wait. Hazel!" I stopped her before she could go anywhere. Surprisingly she didn't interject or give any backtalk, which was a first for her. She simply stared at me expectantly, giving me a nod that indicated she wanted me to continue. "Sit. I want to speak with you...This...might be a little hard to digest…"

"Oh...oh yeah...you wanted to tell me something in private before we got here...bollocks...I might have gotten a little carried away...sorry..."

Once we were seated on the same couch I had slept on, my mind drew blank on how to even go about this conversation.

"Uh...I...this might be hard to explain….no…" I stumbled on my words, while desperately trying to come up with something, anything. Screw the subtlety, I didn't want to waste any more time beating around the bush than I already have. Swallowing my fear, I continued. "H-Hazel...this may be almost impossible to believe; but please just listen! I...I am...I'm a human..."

I tightly shut my eyes and clenched my fists together in anticipation, a nervous sweat forming on my brow. Please don't overreact, please don't overreact…

"You're...what…? H-human...?" She stuttered, fear and anticipation obvious in her voice. "A-are you quite alright Matt…?"

"I told you that it would be hard to believe me...but I promise you, I'm no liar!"

I shakily opened one eye, only to see a very concerned eevee staring at me, her eyes skimming over my every feature.

"This joke isn't very funny Matthew…" The fact that she was using my actual name just stung even more. "Please tell me this is a joke…"

I assure you, Hazel, this isn't a-"

"The rodent does not jest, young eevee."

A deep, gravelly voice filled the immediate area, catching me off guard. And by the look of her fur standing on edge, Hazel looked pretty spooked too. Turning the corner from around a tank, was a bisharp, standing tall and with an eye-catching feather protruding from his mouth. His face, while expressionless, oozed an unsettling pride. "Greetings, Interloper."

"Oh! H-hello mister!" Hazel muttered with a forced smile. "M-Matt, this is who I was—"

" _Silence!"_ The bisharp roared and threw something at Hazel with one swift arm movement, which flew through the gap between her long ears and grazed the top of her head fluff, lightly cutting it, to which the eevee responded to with a gasp. Thankfully, she was unharmed. Upon closer inspection, he had thrown a throwing star at her, which lodged itself horizontally into the fabric of the sofa behind her. In almost an instant, I was on my feet and had Hazel in my arms as I jumped behind the seat for cover. The sounds of heavy hooves clopped slowly on the stone ground below, likey heading towards us. "Hmph. Hiding like the rat you are. Do you think I had intent to kill the girl? Hmph. I was only trying to cease the trite she spoke."

"Oi! Pillock! You could have just told me to shut up like any normal arsehole would!" Hazel shouted at the attacker with sheer aggression as she squirmed in my hold. "Put me down! L-lemme at him! _I'll knock his fuckin' block off!_ Nobody throws shite at me and gets away with it! Nobody!" Though her words were beyond harsh, I could still sense shock in her voice.

"Ha! The girl has spirit. I wonder...do you have the same, human?" He taunted from a distance, the distinct sound of a blade slowly unsheathing catching my attention. He was armed. Who was this guy?! What did he want with me?! There was no time for questions though...I needed to get Hazel and I as far away from this nutjob ASAP. Almost as if he had read my mind, the bisharp continued to screw with me. "Do not think escape is possible, child. I will cut you down aeons before you even get near the door. Show yourself and fight with honour! And I might just let her go if you do."

"W-well?! Are you just going to stand here and piss around? Or are you going to fight this twat?!" Hazel waved a paw in front of my face I was as scanning the room for anything to fight with.

"Not on his terms!" My eyes scoped out a display that was filled with knives of varying uses.

Placing a somewhat shaky Hazel down, I decided to make a break for the weapons case; knowing that he had no intention to hurt her. The second I popped out of cover, I could feel projectiles whoosh by me, likely the same throwing stars that bastard wielded. I could hear that he had slowly begun to close in on me from the sounds of his metallic footsteps, I needed to hurry.

Shit! The display was locked! What do I—?!

"Ha! It seems that you're not having much luck, dog." the bisharp was right behind me, towering over my smaller body, armed with a short, slightly curved sword in his right hand. I readied myself for whatever this bastard had in store for me. "Hmph. This is hardly going to be a fight, I should cut you down right where you stand...no...that would be too unfair..."

His cold eyes shifted to the display case behind me. Like a blur, the assassin lunged at me, causing me to shield myself with my arms and tightly shut my eyes. I braced myself for pain…

But there was none…?

Instead, the sound of glass shattering snapped me out of this trance. There stood the maroon murderer, his sword through the broken display, probably so I could take one. For a man who's out for blood, he did seem awfully generous…

"Well? Are you just going to stand there and gawk?!" He snapped, his scowl somehow worsening "Or are you going to fight me?!"

I gulped, knowing this brief moment of quiet could possibly be my last.

In a rush of pure adrenaline, I snatched whatever I could from the broken case and jumped away from my opponent, aiming my blade in his direction... I took a moment to glance at my weapon once I was at a somewhat safe distance from. In my paw, I held a knife that was about as long as my forearm, seemingly designed for military combat due to the heavy rubber grip and the light serrations on the blade end of it. I held the weapon as tightly as I could in both hands, enough to cause pain. I took careful steps away from the attacker, never letting him out of sight.

He placed his left arm behind his back, as he turned his body to the side, still pointing his head and sword at me.

"I take it you are ready, human?"

"Y-yes…"

I could feel a cold sweat forming on my brow, as I began to shake slightly. I was scared. This guy looked a _lot_ tougher than that geodude I fought in that mystery dungeon back there. N-no...what was it my dad said…? A Wolfe never yields? I-I had to overcome this attack!

"In that case: En Gardé!"

He quickly lunged at me with a terrifying amount of speed, swinging his arm with one gracefully fluid movement at me. All I could do was desperately block the attack by attempting to counter his strike with an attack of my own. With a clumsy swing, our blades met with a metallic screech sounding, followed by vibrations running up and down through my arms.

I disengaged my target by jumping backwards to break the clash. I attempted to charge at him myself in the hopes of stabbing him. However, my attempts of a retaliation were shattered almost immediately by a sharp pain greeting my left cheek and knocking me off my feet entirely. Did he just…? From the way he held his left arm outwards, I deducted that he backhanded me.

"Pathetic! You fight without discipline!" My attacker didn't even take the opportunity to kill me while I was down...odd. Instead he paced back and forth, twirling his sword in his hand in an taunting fashion. "Get up and die with honour!"

My check burned in pain as I felt the area where he had struck me with a free hand. Red liquid spattered the normally-cyan fur of my hand. I was bleeding…that bastard…

I clenched my slightly-bloodied hand into a tight fist and forced myself back up onto my feet. I was _not_ going to let him get away with this. Again, I lunged for him, but when he tried to repeat his last counter, I swiftly ducked under his arm and tried to plunge my knife in between the two pincer like blades on the bisharp's torso, closing my eyes so I couldn't see that I had killed someone. When my weapon made contact with him, a metallic clink sounded.

A...clink…? Wha…?

I slowly opened my eyes, only to see that my knife failed to even penetrate my enemy's body… why…?

I nervously looked up at bisharp, whose eyes were half shut and giving me a look that just screamed 'seriously?' Before he could do anything however, I let go of the knife with my right hand and smacked him in the face with my open palm. He screamed as he stumbled backwards and dropped his feather, holding his golden face in pain with his left hand. Alright! Looks like blunt force was the way to go! My palm stung like all hell though, because it appeared he had metal armour covering his whole body. That probably explained why I couldn't stab him at least…

"W-Woo! Go Matt!" Hazel cheered from behind cover, still sounding quite shaken. The bisharp growled and reached into a pouch on his belt and unleashed another volley of stars in her general direction; causing the startled eevee to duck further behind the chair. "Eep! S-sorry!"

As if he knew about my new strategy, the assassin changed stance with his blade, holding its hilt with both hands and angling it downwards at an angle while holding it in front of his face and keeping his legs as wide as he could. His small eyes darted from me to his discarded feather on the floor next to his feet. With great speed, he kicked his accessory up from the ground and caught it with his left hand and placed it where it belonged. Once he was accessorised, he tilted his head at me in a beckoning fashion.

Taking my blade in an iron grip, I ran for him. Almost as if instinct started to kick in, I began screaming loudly as I charged him. Once I was close enough, I jumped to make up for our drastic height difference. He tensed in preparation for the moment our blades clashed. Bingo. I quickly threw my blade aside and pulled my arm back for another physical strike. He hastily sheathed his rather flimsy looking sword away from me, choosing to grab my arm painfully when I got close with his left hand. Even as I was in his literal iron grip, I still used my free hand to force palm him, though he kept countering me with his forearm. Both of our arms were practically blurs as they repeatedly made painful contact. During this attack, we both occasionally glanced at each other's faces and scowled.

"Hmph. Enough of this charade!" The swordsman hissed and grabbed my other hand tightly. Both of our hands were locked together tightly, as he began spinning on his heels quickly, fast enough to angle my entire body at a horizontally. I began screaming as he upped the tempo of his twirling enough to match a cyclone's. One at max speed, he let go of my hands, sending my flying away from him. "Begone with you!"

I flew painfully into the chair before, thankfully avoiding the stars lodged into it. The sheer force at which I hit the piece of furniture was enough to knock it over backwards onto the ground. It landed with a heavy thud, knocking me onto the floor, in front of a cowering eevee holding her long ears over her eyes and quivering.

"H-Hazel!" I gasped, due to a mixture of pain and fear. "I-I need your help! This guy is too much for me to handle alone!"

She moved one of her paws from her eyes, fearfully looking at me.

"M-Matt? Are you ok?!" She jumped to her feet and rushed over to me and began to examine my injuries. She felt my cheek with a paw, recoiling it away upon discovering blood on it. She looked at the crimson liquid on her hand, her face notably dropping. "Ar-Arceus above...you're bleeding...that prick…! Where the fuck is he?! Nobody gets away with hurting my human-riolu buddy! Nobody!"

Hazel swallowed her fears and was about to move out of cover to engage the attacker, though this was short lived due to a something suddenly casting a shadow over us. We both looked up, only to see an upside down bisharp above us midair, performing a backflip. He gracefully landed on his feet, causing the stone ground below to crack under his heavy hooves.

"There you are! Fight back!" He roared, reaching for his sheathe. But as soon as his sword was out of it container, a ball of pure shadow struck his hand, sending his weapon flying out of his grasp and causing him to hold his hand in pain. "W-What the devil—?!"

"T-there you are twat! Yeah! Two against one! You better be afraid!" Hazel shakily threatened. "I hope you liked that shadow ball! Because there's a _lot_ more of those where that came from!"

"This is not your battle, girl! Leave us!"

"Not bloody likely!" Hazel shot another shadow ball from her mouth at the assassin, hitting him directly in the chest and sending him stumbling backwards. The attacker held his torso in pain and grunted, getting a somewhat-confident laugh out of Hazel. "Ha! Gotcha bugger!"

"Gah...insolent little girl…" Bisharp grunted and stood at full height, seemingly shrugging off the attack and composing himself. "It appears I might need to take another life today…pity."

With another quick pounce, the attacker kicked Hazel into the side of a car, injuring the poor eevee's back. Hazel whimpered as she couldn't even properly stand. Even at a distance, I could see that she had begun to cry.

"H-Hazel!" I cried out for my friend and tried to take a few steps towards her, only to have a metallic arm block my path.

"Hmph...pathetic...a perfect match for you I suppose, human," My opponent scoffed with his back turned to me. He slowly angled his gaze towards me, his eyes filled with a sick amusement. "At least you're going to have a partner in death."

"A-as if I'd let you put a hand on her!"

"Ha! And yet, you let me kick your little girlfriend here?!" Bisharp turned round to face me with a jolly expression.

" _Girlfriend?!"_ Both Hazel and I shouted in unison, as she shot out a shadow ball and I charged the bisharp: who sighed and cartwheeled out of the way. Before I could even comprehend what just happened, the shadow ball and my torso made contact with each other. Pain was all I felt as I was knocked completely off my feet and sent me flying back a few meters. I heard Hazel gasp loudly as I winced in sheer pain while clutching my chest. It was sore to even breathe.

"Oh my Lord! M-Matthew! I'm so sorry!" Hazel called out, sounding seconds away from crying. "I'm so…"

"Incompetent wretches...I didn't even need to raise my hand." The sharp noise of a blade being picked up off the ground echoed throughout the now silent room, followed shortly by hooves marching across the stone floor before stopping. I painfully opened one eye, only to see the sharp assassin looming over me with his sword in hand. "This was a humiliating display for everyone involved. You've failed me. You've failed your own race and you've failed that eevee. But most importantly," he leaned in closer to me. "You've failed yourself. Death is all you deserve for this failure. Do you have anything to say before I execute you?"

My mind drew blank. Was this really the end? What a cruel hand life gave me...throwing me into this world with no memories, seeing one last vision of my family, only to be cut down by this asshole…why me…?

I began to sob softly as I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to die...I just wanted my family…my...family…?

" _We_ _never_ _yield. No matter what. Even if the situation is at the most dire point,"_ Suddenly _,_ James repeated himself my head. " _We die on our own damn terms. Understood?"_

Dad...I...Didn't know what to even say. It was just a memory...but, it felt like my dad knew of what situation I was in and called out to me…

"Absolutely pathetic!" Bisharp spat, contempt obvious in his voice. "A warrior; no matter how pathetic, must die with honour! Not cry like some mere infant!"

"N-no...Bisharp...I do have one last thing to say…" I opened my eyes, feeling a mixture of pain and determination coursing through me.

"And what would that be?"

"I-I only die on my own terms!" Even through the immense pain, I forced myself up from the ground and rushed at him.

"What—?!" His confused state allowed me to actually hit him with another force palm. I wasn't sure how, but I had struck him in a very...humiliating area...his crotch...He choked in agony as his grip around his sword loosened, eventually dropping it. I recoiled my hand away from his privates, as his legs buckled and he fell to the floor coughing. "Y-you…! Such...dis—"

Enough was enough. I was already sick of this guy. Now that he was on the floor, we were roughly the same height. I took this opportunity to punch him as hard as I could, squarely on the forehead.

And with that, he was unconscious and fell over backwards...finally...it was over…

I overlooked his knocked out body for a moment, before turning around and limping towards my friend. She lay on the ground crying, likely in a mixture of pain and regret.

"You ok Hazel?" I knelt, offering her a hand.

"It...hurts...to move…" she choked, struggling to get up. "Ow…"

Using my slightly less roughed up state, I picked her up, with one hand on her back and the other on her...rump…

Once the surprisingly light fox was properly in my grasp, she wrapped her paws around my neck and gently rested her head on my shoulder, her fluffy hair tickling my chin. She tightly closed her eyes and quietly groaned in pain.

"T-thank you Matt…"

"No problem...we need medical attention…" I was about to head for the exit, when a light tapping on my back stopped me in my tracks.

"Hold on! That guy might have an Oran Berry or two! Come on! Let's see!" She weakly moved her head back to look at me, flashing her normal energetic smile, her eyes still damp with tears.

I carefully approached the bisharp and kicked the side of his torso to confirm he was no longer a threat. Once I was confident that he wasn't going to lunge at me, I knelt down and began a thorough investigation of all the little pouches and containers around his waist, while keeping a secure hold on the eevee's...bottom. The fact we were both stark naked by human standards certainly wasn't helping anything. No...focus Matt, focus!

I found many peculiar items within his pouches, most of which were of no use to us. One of them was filled to the brim with shurikens and kunais. I was rather worried about the sheer number of the sharp weapons he owned, it was like he was prepared to kill an entire army with them!

In another bigger bag was a wooden fan and what appeared to be a story of some sort. I didn't have much time to read, so I needed to move on.

But after an almost fruitless search, I eventually found what I was looking for! A blue fruit about the size of an apple, or my fist! I presented it to the eevee clinging to my neck, who squirmed in excitement.

"Aha! That's one! Give it here!"

She didn't even take the fruit in her paws, she just took a huge bite the second I held it near her muzzle. I could swear that she was lightly purring as she happily ate her half of the fruit. I simply observed her eat for a moment, before mimicking her and taking a bite of the berry myself. An overwhelming sensation of sweet and sour greeted my taste buds upon my first nibble, along with the fruit's juices bringing moisture to my previously-dry mouth. It was an interesting flavour, but I fairly enjoyed it. Almost as soon as it entered my stomach, I felt the pain slowly disappearing.

"I'm shattered...let's tell the police and call it a day…" Hazel yawned audibly, shifting around in my hold for maximum comfort. "Can I trust you to carry me to an inn if I fall asleep…?"

"Sure. How are you so tired anyway? I did the majority of the fighting."

"Hmm…?" She sounded like she was seconds away from nodding off into dreamland. "Oh...I...didn't sleep last night…like...at all. I think that fight just wasted what little energy I had left..."

For goodness sake Hazel...that girl would live off books if she could. I was about to criticise her about her habits, until I felt her head slump against my shoulder, her cold nose pressing against my neck and her front paws slipping slightly from my neck. Really Hazel? _Really?_

There I stood, holding a sleeping eevee while my entire body ached. I had not expected this was how my day was going to have started. How long had I been awake for? Fifteen minutes at most, probably, and already I felt like collapsing into bed.

I began to approach the exit, but something bumped into me as I entered the doorway, almost knocking me down. Again.

Standing taller than even the bisharp, was a gardevoir, who stood there elegantly, her red eyes scanning me closely.

"Sorry ma'am…" I shamefully looked down at my feet.

"M-Ma'am?!" They stuttered in a surprisingly deep voice, their eyes darting between Hazel and I. "Excuse me little one! I'm a man! There's only one girl in this…" he suddenly looked over me, to the assassin's unconscious form, his shocked expression turning to an unsettling grin. "Oh my...did you do this?"

I turned around to look at the bisharp, then back to the gardevoir.

"Y-yes…? That was me...and her." I explained as I tilted my head at Hazel. "I was just wondering ma— sir, if you could contact the police...he tried to kill me…"

"You mean _you_ two _?_ A tiny riolu and an eevee pup managed to decimate poor shorty? My my...my my my…" he placed a hand over his mouth and began giggling while approaching the bisharp. "Absolutely wonderful! Haha! Ah...that's just wonderful."

"Do...do you know him…?" I cautiously asked, taking a few nervous steps backwards, with the intention of hightailing it the second he tried anything. "Please tell me you—"

"Of course little one! He's my comrade in arms!" He laughed once more as his hands began to glow green. He moved his arms in a very soothing manner over the bisharp, who stirred. I immediately turned around and tried to flee, only to run into something metal, which finally knocked me onto my butt. I looked up to make eye contact with a floating golden sword, who didn't look very impressed. And behind him was a pangoro, who was cracking his knuckles. "Oh, and so are they."

"H-Hazel...wake up Hazel!" I began to shake the eevee as I scrambled to my feet and started to back away from the aegislash and pangoro, while making sure not to get too close to the gardevoir and bisharp.

Why me…?

* * *

 **Hazel**

Matt's voice awoke me, along with a shaking feeling on my back. I slowly opened my eyes, only to see darkness…? I shifted my head to find I had buried my face in Matt's neck while I had slept. I began to burn up in embarrassment. He didn't seem to mind too much, which was a relief. In fact he was quite preoccupied with something. I looked over his shoulder, only to see a gardevoir helping that twatty bisharp up onto his feet. Uh oh. I gazed behind myself and saw an aegislash and pangoro slowly approaching us. Double uh oh.

"M-Matt? What's going on…? Who are these people?!" I tightly clung onto the riolu and repeatedly and fearfully looked the four hitmen approaching from both sides.

"Let us cast our Lord's judgement upon you, human," The living sword stated whilst changing his stance from defensive to offensive. "Relinquish the eevee and submit!"

"Oh dear! I don't think he'll let his little girlfriend go anytime soon! We might need to eliminate that one too! Don't worry...I'll wait for you two to have one last romantic farewell...and maybe a kiss too, if I'm feeling particularly generous today," The gardevoir taunted with a smile that was full of sadism and amusement. "Go on! Don't keep the crowd waiting!"

The absolute cheek of that...that...utter twat! How dare he try and embarrass me like that! I wasn't Matt's girlfriend! For heaven's sake I've only known him for three days!

I gazed at the effeminate man with murderous intent, snarling at him in an attempt to coax him into believing I wasn't flustered. Though Matt snapped me out of it by whimpering quietly.

"Y-your claws…" The riolu gasped "Get them out of my back…"

"Oh...Sorry…" I mumbled as I retracted my claws from Matt.

"Hmm...not quite a romantic farewell or kiss...how disappointing...ah well." The frilly fucker sighed, which just flustered me even more.

"Be careful with the blue one…" Bisharp growled, picking his discarded sword up from the ground. "He goes for the groin…"

"Enough 'gabbin! Let's just do this prick in and be done with it!" The biggest of the four cracked his knuckles together and tried to charge Matt; who immediately bolted to the right and slid under a large human vehicle. I heard a massive crash sound afterwards, which I theorised to be the pangoro smashing into a nearby display due to an improper knowledge of basic momentum.

"Hazel, can you walk?" Matt huffed, holding me close to the floor, his eyes full of worry and fear. "I can't do this alone…"

"I'll try…" I whimpered quietly, before he slowly lowered me to the floor, still holding my sides tightly. Once my feet and the ground made contact, he slowly loosened his grip on my hips. As soon as his support was gone though, my back spasmed in pure agony, as I fell into Matt's chest. He immediately caught me and hoisted me up again. "S-sorry Matt...those berries take time to work their magic...I-I can still use shadow ball to get rid of people from behind, if you like…"

"Yes, that could work...I need a weapon as well...a gun hopefully…"

"I think they went under here!" The most effeminate of the four bastards teased, as his slender legs cast a shadow over us. "My my...I wonder what they're doing under there…? Nothing risqué, I hope…"

This prick was unreal. Absolutely sickening…

The large vehicle shook, as massive paws latched onto the underside, mere inches away from Matt and I. I began shaking as I clung onto Matt once again. I...I didn't want to die…

As if he could sense my fear, the riolu tightened his hold on me and held me close to his chest for reassurance. I could feel his heart was racing as he began scurrying away from the hands that slowly lifted our cover. With a groan, the vehicle was standing vertically, exposing Matt and I to our attackers.

"My my my...look at them! Practically seconds away from going at it! Absolutely precious!" The green one laughed loudly while scanning us with cruel red eyes.

"Why are you so obsessed with those two 'fuckin?!" The pangoro averted his gaze to the girly man, as did his teammates. I took this opportunity to hide my face in Matt's chest fur in a mixture of fear and embarrassment.

"Oh please! Look at those two little darlings! They're practically made for each other! Before we kill them...I have something to do...it would be a massive embarrassment if these little ones weren't our targets...eh _shorty_?"

I wish I could rip his throat out. Why was he so insistent that Matt and I were a thing?! I wasn't sure whether or not to be more confused or embarrassed about this whole situation.

"Hmph. It's obvious this is the interloper. He's cornered. Let's just dispose of this dishonourable cretin and be done with—" The bisharp began, right before getting cut off by the gardevoir twat.

"Ah ah ah!" Gardevoir waggled his finger in a very demeaning manner. "These two could have some _valuable_ information! A potential human! Think of the knowledge!"

Bisharp scowled even harder than he already was and looked expectantly at the aegislash; who somehow sighed.

"He's right unfortunately. Maybe we'll find out why Starmie wants this rodent's head..."

"Bah! Do as you will. Just don't expect anything useful to come of this!" The second sharpest of the bunch scoffed, turning on his feet and going elsewhere.

I wasn't sure why these people weren't killing us right away, but this could give us ample opportunity to come up with an escape plan! Where to begin—?!

But that's when I felt a presence enter my mind. A cruel, unwelcoming presence.

" _Let's start with you little one…_ " Gardevoir's voice echoed through my mind, as well as the room itself. " _What's a job if not done thoroughly?"_

Get out of my—

" _I don't think so m'dear. I'd advise you not to resist too much...my interrogations tend to leave people...brain dead if they pose to much mental strife…"_

This wasn't good, I need him out of my mind as soon as—

" _Hmm...let me see...let me see...ah! Secrets! This could be an interesting subject!"_

Oh no. Why my secrets?! Anything but—!

" _Hmm…? oh my...how embarrassing...do you honestly do THAT when stressed out? I wouldn't blame you m'dear. I fairly enjoy that too, under the right circumstances…"_

No...I immediately felt tears welling up in my eyes as he poked around my head for anything and everything. Why did he have to bring that up…? Why?! All I could do was sink lower into a ball in Matt's arms and sob.

" _Aww...don't cry girly...I'm sure I can bring something up to lighten the mood...maybe ah! Maybe the riolus you find to be ever so dashing! You've always yearned for the strong embrace of one of these creatures haven't you? Yes, I see all of the little pictures and diagrams you've either collected or drawn yourself...I must say, you're a very lucky girl to have this handsome young riolu holding you in his arms...very lucky indeed...but my question is...do you enjoy your riolus enough to…? Ahaha...I don't even need to look to come to that conclusion..."_

Why...Why?! That...monster...that utter…how did he…?

I couldn't help but bawl loudly into Matt's chest, clinging onto him as tightly if he were my mum. It was pathetic...it really was...He was just practically a stranger as well…

But even despite the fact that we were pretty much strangers...He hugged me back tightly with one hand, placing his other on the back of my head and pressing it into his neck while also letting out a low growl directed to the gardevoir; who simply laughed at me…

"Leave. Her. Alone." Matt grizzled. "Now! Or else!"

Did he not care about all that gardevoir had revealed…?

"Did you hear that fellow knights?! He's threatening me! Ooh I feel so honoured to be threatened by a human! Perhaps while he bravados, she's going to touch herself to it! Ahahahaha!"

Never have I felt so humiliated in my entire life... I just wanted to die...how was Matt going to feel about me now…? That bloody gardevoir ruined everything…

"Gardevoir?! Are you actually going to interrogate them?! Or are you just going to fantasise about what these two do in the bedroom?!" The aegislash suddenly snapped at his underling with burning fury in his single purple eye. "If you're not going to do anything of value then I—!"

"And you will cut me down yada yada ya. Very well, ruin _ALL_ of my fun why don't you? I'm done with the girl. I'll leave all the probing of her deep, secret locations to the interloper. Now..."

Matt's grasp on me tightened painfully as his eyes slowly turned to the same shade of dark pink as gardevoir's.

"N-ngh...Get out of my—!"

"Tsk tsk...that's the first thing they always say when I start looking. It's always the 'Get outta my head' line! So cliche! I for one would say 'Good day fellow psychic! How do you do?" He smiled deeply. "Right before I fry their inferior brains...well, metaphorically at least. I wish I had the mental capacity to do that...but enough about me...let's speak more about you my darling little humie!"

I shifted my attention to my friend, then to my enemy. Their eyes were both wide open and glowing bright magenta. Gardevoir wore an expression of pure amusement and sadism; as opposed to Matt's pained grimace. The other three knights just stared at us with varying levels of uncaringness. Bisharp simply polished his sword, pangoro just stood with crossed arms, while aegislash...meditated? Strange…

"H-heh...this one is putting up more resistance than the little receptacle in his arms…" Gardevoir muttered, his smile falling somewhat. "I-Interesting…"

The second tallest of the knights raised his arms and pointed them towards the riolu, channeling his psychic by the looks of it.

"C'mon damn you...what do you have in that head of yours?!" Gardevoir clenched his teeth. "Are you sure you don't want to plunge yourself as deep as you can into the depths of that little—?!" He choked suddenly, his splayed fingers tightening into claws. "Wh-what is…? H-humans...of course...what are they…ugh..."

The gardevoir gasped, stumbling backwards and holding his head in disorientation. He let out an agonising scream as he almost fell off his feet, before being caught by his larger, furry colleague.

"T-that little mutt! Be weary of him!" Gardevoir stuttered, trying to compose himself. "He's dangerous!"

The bisharp, pangoro and aegislash all looked at each other and nodded, before slowly approaching us.

"Surround them, knights! Do _not_ let them escape!" the sword barked loudly. "May we strike with the wrath of Lord Starmie!"

Lord who? What was even happening anymore? What did gardevoir even see in Matt's head? No time for questions though...it was time to fight!

Matt, while still holding me, started to growl and back away from the four bastards closing in on us.

I prayed to any and all gods that we made this out in one piece…

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter…**_


	6. Chapter 6: Museum Madness-Part 2

(AN) hello hello, welcome back to PoD! Now, before we begin, I'd like to announce that my buddy CharEmblem and I have both decided that our stories should be crossovers! So I implore you to check his story Forgotten Echoes whenever he releases it.

Also, huge thanks go to my fellow authors and buddies, Ikcatcher and TheGOAT! For being my beta squad for this chapter! You should totally check them out once you get the chance!

But without further ado or promotion,

Let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6: Museum Madness-part 2**_

 **Matt**

This was bad. This was _very_ bad.

I slowly backed away from the four approaching attackers, holding Hazel in an iron grip. She desperately clung onto me in fear, sobbing lightly because of what the disgusting gardevoir had revealed. I felt sorrow for her more than anything. I didn't even care that she had a particular fetish for my 'kind.' All I cared about was the fact she was crying, which hurt me more than anything.

But what did that gardevoir see in my head? I wasn't even sure myself. He just suddenly reacted while poking around…but there was no time for pondering. I needed to fight! Or run! Whatever had a more realistic chance of survival!

The pangoro was the first to make a move: a bum rush. With great speed, the ball of fluff and blubber charged at us with a roar. I had to make my move before he could even get close. I swallowed my fear and charged at the beast that was rapidly accelerating towards me. I felt a familiar set of claws dig into my back again, along with a ear-piercing feminine scream overpowering my hearing completely. I quickly fell to my knees, sliding under the gap in between the pangoro's legs, leaving a very bewildered panda still charging at frightening amounts of speed.

"Eh, what did—?!" The raging beast couldn't sufficiently slow himself down, causing him to crash face first into the car in front of him, knocking it over completely with a huge crash.

"Ahahaha! Absolutely brilliant!" The perverted gardevoir laughed out loud while clapping, as his counterparts groaned. "That was top notch acrobatics from the—!"

"S-shut yer trap!" Hazel swung herself around and unleashed a shadow ball from her mouth, aiming for the green one.

The gardevoir simply giggled and stopped the ball of energy with an open palm, with his arm suffering slight recoil. He held it in place in front of his splayed fingers with an impossibility smug grin.

"Tsk tsk. Feisty little gal aren't you? No wonder he stays around for you," he smirked as his teammates began to circle us. "You probably relish in the thought of merely touching his—"

Another volley of shadow balls was lobbed at gardevoir, who just rolled his eyes and stopped them as well and started juggling. "Haha...you don't know when to quit do you?"

I decided to run to my left before the four could make their move, my feet practically a blur on the stone floor as I tried to make a mad dash for the exit, still carrying my fluffy friend.

" _What are you doing knights?!"_ Aegislash roared from behind us, his booming voice oozing with authority. " _Do not let them escape!"_

Before I could even get close to the exit, a burning pain suddenly erupted in my leg, causing me to fall over and drop Hazel. We both yelped as we hit the floor painfully. I managed to look behind me, only to see the gardevoir standing some distance away with an outstretched arm. He was also missing one of the shadow balls Hazel had shot at him, I had concluded that he had thrown one at me. I desperately tried to get on my feet, but the agony in my left leg was too much to bear.

"Not a problem, dear Aegislash. Do you think I'd just let them escape in such a simple manner? It's your kill now."

I struggled to get onto my feet while desperately trying to reach Hazel, who finally managed to stand up shakily.

"C'mon M-Matthew! All fours like a normal riolu! Run!" She shouted as she tried to make a break for the exit.

All fours like a normal riolu…?

In a split second reaction, I shakily stood up, with my backwards pointing ankles allowing me to effectively stand using all of limbs. Not unlike Hazel. But I didn't have time to adapt to this, as I heard a very familiar set of metal hooves charging at me from behind. With a gulp, I threw my arms (now forelegs) in front of me and used my hinds to spring forward.

My first attempt at running as a quadruped failed miserably as my injured leg burned once again, knocking me down. I quickly rolled onto my back and saw bisharp performing a large jump towards me, his sword pointed downward to stab me for when he landed. I hastily rolled to my right, letting Bisharp land mere inches away from me with a massive metallic thud, his sword now lodged in the ground. He struggled to pull his weapon from the stone, quietly growling obscenities under his breath.

Once again I tried to run on all of my limbs, being careful not to exert myself too much. Avoiding putting too much pressure on my left hind, I made a few cautious steps, before bolting forward towards Hazel; who was struggling to open the door due to her lack of height. I was about to open the door for her, but a glowing pink energy forced it shut, followed shortly by the sadistically effeminate voice of the gardevoir.

"Ah-ah-ah! How very naughty! Trying to escape us?!" He started to giggle uncontrollably as both Hazel and I struggled to open the door. "Looks like it's my turn to—"

 _Crunch._

Gardevoir had stepped on something, making a horrible metal noise that stopped the "man" in his tracks. Everyone froze to see what he had trodden on. But as he bent over with a curious expression, I heard Hazel shriek in horror, before seeing her desperately searching her face for something. I quickly realised what she was missing.

"What's this…?" Gardevoir asked nobody in particular, while holding a pair of ovular blue glasses, which had one of the arms snapped off. "Glasses…? Oh my... I broke little eevee's spectacles…oh well. Looks like she's going to have to squint in the face of death...ahaha..."

Hazel's face twisted into pure hatred, as frustrated tears formed in her eyes and she started shivering.

"Whoopsie daisy...I'm so _very_ sorry, girly..." He smiled in faux bashfulness. But as he gloated, Hazel quietly lunged at the gardevoir as he approached. "I'll make sure to-AH! You little bitch!"

Hazel had her teeth sunk quite deep into his leg and was growling loudly.

"Hmph. That shut him up. Finally," Bisharp scoffed as he finally managed to pull his blade from the ground.

Hazel quickly withdrew from the gardevoir's leg before he could properly react, leaving a deep wound that began bleeding heavily. The effeminate man fell down to one knee, holding his ankle in pain. With a quick motion, Hazel swiped what rightfully belonged to her, before spitting on gardevoir and running back to me. The way Hazel stared down at her broken glasses with a slightly bloody muzzle...disturbed me.

"Y-You vile…" Gardevoir whimpered as he held his ankle in agony and trying to stop the bleeding with his own healing powers, before aiming above us and unleashing all of his remaining shadow balls into the ceiling above the door, causing it to collapse and block our only method of escape. "T-there… no escape for you rodents…"

This was not good. Our only method of escape was now cut off, and we were now stuck in a room with these psychopaths. Things were not looking good for us…

I swallowed and turned around, readying myself for whatever came next. The Pangoro and Bisharp were slowly approaching us, while Aegislash was looking through a bag next to the gardevoir, likely for supplies to tend to his wound. The sword's singular purple eye shot from gardevoir to Hazel in pure disgust.

Pangoro made his move first, charging at us with swinging arms and destroying several displays in his gargantuan wake. I gulped, bracing myself for impact. As soon as he got close, even through the dull pain and my legs quaking in fear, I forced myself to wait for an opening. When he got somewhat close, I lunged at his leg and pulled my arm back to punch it, only to have a shuriken woosh past my arm. I yelped in pain as I felt a new cut open up on my bicep, causing another rush of burning sensation to course through the area. I grasped my arm and fumbled into the beefy leg of pangoro, causing him to stumble over his own weight and fall to the ground with a huge thud. Before I got crushed completely, I stumbled out of the way, while still clutching my arm.

"You idiot shorty! Stop throwing your little toys at him!" The perverted bastard hissed as the aegislash patched his leg up. "Fight him you little b—!"

"Silence! Or there will be one reserved for you as well!" The bisharp yelled back at his comrade and pointing his sword at the frilly man.

"Stop bickering and actually kill them!" The supposed leader of the group yelled, cut off only by a high pitched scream sounding.

It was Hazel's.

I swung my entire body around, only to see pangoro attacking my only friend, swatting at her with a huge paw while using the other to pick himself up off the floor.

"Hazel!" I shouted and made a mad dash for her, disregarding everyone else in the room's existence completely and clutching my bleeding arm tightly.

The behemoth pokemon raised an arm to try and crush her, but I interrupted him by kicking him as hard as I could in the back of the knee. This attack caused him to stumble forward before quickly turning around with a grunt. He towered over me, standing at least twice as big as my much smaller body.

Before he could do anything, I quickly scrunched my paw into a fist and punched him square in the crotch, which sent another rush of pain throughout my arm. The panda fell to one knee, wincing in pain and muttering several obscenities under his breath while holding his groin.

I took this opportunity to run in a random direction for cover as well as to search for any item that could prove useful, beckoning Hazel to follow me by waving an arm as I dropped to all fours again.

As Hazel and I darted between cover, we heard the familiar sound of Bisharp's hooves charging across the hard stone floor, closing in on us. Even when we were on all four legs, our enemy was closing in on us fast.

"M-Matt!" Hazel said in a quiet, yet still terrified voice. "We need somewhere to hide! Just until we find a plan!"

"Right!" I nodded, quickly scoping out a nearby large tractor that could possibly provide a good hiding place.

Running under the massive vehicle, we climbed up the ladders that faced the grey wall and quickly found a hiding spot under the steering wheel once in the cabin.

I quickly pushed the lock mechanisms down and pulled the seat as far forward as it could go, creating a somewhat concealed spot. As soon as I rested my back against the wall, I felt a small pair of paws grab my injured arm.

"Oof...pretty nasty that is…" Hazel whispered, as she started pulling a bandage out of her bag. "Hold still a second…"

She started to patch me up, wrapping the white cloth around my bicep. The bandage immediately started soaking up my blood, making me feel immediately queasy. She tied it up surprisingly neatly considering her shaky demeanour, physically cringing at the sight of my blood on her shaking paws.

"It's not too tight is it?"

"I-It's fine…thank you..." I gave her a brief smile. "Alright here's the plan—"

I was about to discuss whatever half assed plan I could come up with, but a noise from outside the vehicle sounded, causing both of us to flinch and press ourselves into the wall.

"Hmph...where are they…?" It was the bisharp, his voice muffled by the thick metal between us. Hazel and I made brief eye contact, before we both shushed each other by putting a digit in front of our mouths. His hooves echoed quietly throughout the room, causing us both to flinch each time the metallic clink sounded. The assassin grumbled as it sounded like he was searching through displays for us. "...damn pests…"

His voice was getting closer. My entire body tensed up as the vehicle shook with a sudden weight on its side. I swallowed, shivering due to the intense rush of adrenaline coursing through me. Hazel's fearful brown eyes darted from me, to the door. She reached up to her slender ears, pulled them over her eyes and started quivering. A shadow cast itself through the window. The door jiggled as our enemy pulled on the handle. The pulling only increased in speed as Bisharp grew more impatient.

"Bah! Locked…" he scoffed, before he stopped assaulting the door, followed only by the sound of a sword slowly unsheathing.

I couldn't breathe. This couldn't be the end... _It couldn't be…_

My body tensed up as I simply looked at the door, with the sounds of the tiny fox's light sobs accompanying my staring.

But suddenly, the noises of a display falling over somewhere nearby broke us out of our trance.

"Gotcha…" Bisharp turned on his heels to face the noise.

Thank the stars he didn't see us...

The noise of Bisharp jumping down back onto the stone floor was enough to somewhat dispel the immense fear.

"T-that was close…" I let out a sigh of relief, my heart still racing. "Alright...here's the p-plan...we need to open the door somehow, there's gotta be something laying around that can do the job…"

Hazel searched through her bag again, still quaking in fear. What was she looking for…?

"B-bollocks...I'm outta blast seeds…" she whimpered, throwing her bag down in defeat. "S-sorry Matthew…"

Damn it...there had to be some kind of explosive lying around here somewhere…our lives were counting on it!

We remained still and silent for a moment, listening to the four assassins talk amongst themselves while searching for us, albeit slightly muffled due to the steel in between us.

" _Hmph...no sign of the target over here…"_ The sword blade Pokemon scoffed. " _They possibly have found an escape route...dishonourable cretins..."_

" _R-remind me to rip that little bitch in two...can't feel my bloody leg…"_

" _Little bastard's gonna pay for wot 'e did to me! I swear, next time I see him I'm gonna—"_

" _Calm yourselves knights...you mustn't let these things get to you...lest you want them to use your anger to their advantage…"_ The sword calmly stated, his voice completely devoid of emotion. " _Now. Pangoro, cover the exit with Bisharp. Gardevoir, just sit there and get some rest."_

" _And what of you, dear Aegislash…?"_

" _I will personally find them."_

Not good. It'd only be a matter of time before he found us, so now was probably the best time to try and find some means of escape. I shot a glance at Hazel, who stared back at me with a face full of terror. I really hated that she was roped into this whole mess because of me...she deserved this less than I did. I needed to get both of us out of here as soon as possible. Hopefully I could survive long enough to see that happen. To think what would happen to me if I lost my only friend…

My tail was between my legs. Figuratively and literally. I didn't want to step foot outside of our hiding spot. But I had to. It was either stay here and get caught, or leave and possibly escape or get killed. But as long as that possibility of freedom existed, even if it was almost impossible to reach, I would take my chances and go for it. My legs felt like jelly as I slowly started to rise.

"S-stay here Hazel, you'll be safe." I stood up as carefully as I could, keeping my head as low as possible and navigating my way to the door, while trying to resist the feelings of intense fear. "I'll be right back..."

"W-where are you going…?" Her ears dropped, her shaking only intensifying.

"I'm going to look for whatever I can find that could help...please, just stay here. Push down that thing on the door once I leave." I shakily explained as I opened the door facing the wall and leaving the supposed safety of the vehicle and jumped onto the floor below. Hazel stared down at me, before slowly closing the door.

"B-be careful Matt…" she muttered, as she finally shut the door. And with a click, the door was locked behind me.

Alright Matthew...you can do this…

I dropped to all fours again and started slinking around cover, searching through any storage container and display I came across while keeping my head down.

While searching through a display of what appeared to be farming tools of varying shapes and sizes, I suddenly felt an icy cold chill shoot up my spine, causing me to duck for cover under the furniture. I crawled backwards as I saw Aegislash slowly hover past, his arms folded behind his back and his shield ominously floating in front of him. I held my breath, freezing in place as he stopped next to my hiding place.

The sword turned to face the display, followed shortly by the window on top creaking open and the sounds of metallic tools rattling as the knight inspected them.

Go away, go away, _go away_ — _yes!_

Aegislash slowly shut the storage container, turned around and floated away!

I breathed in heavily, letting in as much oxygen as I could, before turning around and scanning the immediate area behind the wooden case. I looked over the room to my right, seeing the gardevoir sitting atop a wooden crate and cradling his leg. Just beside him was the door, guarded by Pangoro and Bisharp, who were exchanging banter of some sort.

I shifted my attention to the left, where I saw the knife I fought Bisharp with! If I could just get to it...

Darting my eyes left to right, I was about to leave my cover. The second I made a run for it however, I ran painfully into a shield that quickly blocked me and knocked me down completely. I followed the purple arm that held the shield, eventually meeting the wrathful gaze of a single half opened purple eye. I started trembling as he looked me up and down.

"There you are rodent. Do not think you can hide from me," He scoffed with a hollow voice. "Stand. _Now!_ Face death with at least some semblance of dignity. And we'll let _her_ go."

I hastily followed his orders, slowly rising to my feet.

" _I think not! That little slag has left a scar that'll never—"_ Gardevoir protested, before Aegislash quickly turned his entire body around and shot an icy cold glare that silenced the gardevoir almost instantly, who let out a notably nervous chuckle and dropped his head. "O-of course! We'll let her go! Ahaha, ignore silly old me…"

The leader of the assassins rolled his eye and stared back at me with the same cold gaze.

I hastily tried to attack him with a swift punch, but the second my fist and his body made contact, the same icy feeling shot throughout my arm as my hand just phased right through him.

"What are you even doing Interloper?" He asked, clearly unamused. Rather than responding, I withdrew my hand from him and sprinted past to the knife. "Cease!"

I ran across the stone floor scrambling to get to my blade, before a shadowy entity materialised in front of me. A single purple eye in amongst the darkness served as the only reminder of the identity of the abomination. It took the form of Aegislash, who immediately grabbed me by the neck, hoisting me off the ground completely. I struggled in his grasp, unable to even breathe. Even my attempts at punching his arm didn't seem to work.

"Interloper...you have been a minor annoyance at best…" He tightened his hold on me. "However...you fought somewhat valiantly. I shall pass this information onto my lord…"

I choked...this was the end, wasn't it?

But suddenly, his grip loosened; allowing me to breathe somewhat. His purple eye slowly scanned me, before looking into my eyes inquisitively.

" _Matt!"_ From across the room, I heard a terrified Hazel call out, which caught the attention of Aegislash as well. She stood in the open doorway of the tractor.

"L-let us go...please…we didn't do anything to you…" I pleaded pathetically with the knight; who coldly stared at me with a twitching eye. " _I...I don't wanna die…"_

"No...it's my lord's orders...I cannot disobey them…" Aegislash muttered, his eye darting from me, to Hazel and finally to his subordinates. "You must die! It is the will of—"

I quickly remembered my family one last time, I would never see them again, my dad, my big brother...I just wanted to go home…I could feel tears stinging my eyes as they formed and started trickling down my face. The aegislash cut himself off when he had noticed that I'd started crying, his grip loosening even further.

"Wot in Arceus' name are you 'playin at Aegislash?!" Pangoro broke the silence with a booming voice. "Kill 'im! And just be done with it!"

"Well spoken my fluffy friend! You're actually becoming comprehensible! Well done—"

"Shut yer trap for bloody once Gardevoir! Get. Rid. Of. The. _Human!_ " Pangoro growled, cracking his knuckles.

"I...I…" the sentient blade mumbled, our eyes meeting once again. Mine filled with tears, his with conflict.

The flustered blade continued to look around in utter silence for but a moment, before a distant sound of a door getting barged down broke said silence. While still holding me turned towards the door and shot a quick glance at his subordinates, who stared back with obvious confusion.

But in his moment of distraction, Aegislash had neglected to keep an eye on Hazel, who shot a shadow ball directly at the arm that held me. The orb of darkness made contact with the sword's arm, immediately severing it, dropping me to the floor painfully and causing him to scream in pain. The arm convulsed on the ground for a moment, before disintegrating into purple smoke, that quickly faded into nothingness.

I hastily grabbed the knife that was by my side and swallowed deeply. The ghost type, despite missing an half an arm, still tried to attack me. I countered his lunge by jumping up and pulling my arm back, still holding my weapon. I made a stabbing motion towards him, aiming for what appeared to be his most obvious weak point.

The leader of the team screamed bloody murder as I plunged my knife deep into his eye, the wound expelling a thick pitch black, yet icy cold liquid all over my knife and hand. I withdrew from him and took a few steps back, watching as the living sword held his injury with his only remaining hand. Even his team was utterly stunned by what I had just done. As I continued to walk backwards, I felt a sudden weight embrace my waist and wrap its paws around me. I took a quick glance down, seeing a familiar set of brown paws around my stomach.

"Matthew...thank Arceus you're alright…" Hazel whimpered quietly as she held me close.

"This isn't over yet Hazel, we need to—"

I was cut off by a muffled, but still frighteningly loud voice yelling from behind the collapsed door, causing both the panda and the Bisharp to slowly back away from it.

" _Three, two, one. Alright men, go go go! Storm the room!"_

The door, and the entire wall around it suddenly collapsed, revealing an entire brigade of magnemites, magnetons and even a single magnezone, all pointing their magnets at us. A few of the magnemites even had leashes that held growlithes, poochena and rockruffs.

 _Oh my stars…!_

" _Police! Freeze!"_ the magnezone roared, pointing his large magnets straight at the gruff panda. " _Put your hands where we can see them!"_

"Officers I—" I tried to run over to them for assistance, but a magnemite's eye widened as he saw me approaching. He unleashed his growlithe.

Wha—?!

" _The riolu is armed! 'Sic em!"_

Oh fuck! My knife—!

For whatever reason, my hand refused to let go of my blade, whether it be out of fear or an unwillingness to give up a human relic. But before the growlithe ran into me, the largest of the supposed knights roared at the top of his lungs.

" _Enough of this shit!"_ He raised one arm above his head, scrunching his massive paw into a fist.

" _Pangoro no!"_ the brute's maroon comrade shouted as he brought his arm down with blinding speed.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as his fist grew closer to the stone floor. The police scrambled to escape the room or shield themselves with whatever they could, as did the two blade pokemon. Even Hazel desperately tried to make me move by tugging on my leg.

But it was all for naught; my body refused to budge.

The pangoro's punch collided with the floor beneath him, followed shortly by harsh tremors that knocked Hazel and me off our feet, as well as the police dog. Massive cracks shot across the floor and walls as the booming sounds of destruction started drowning out all my senses...

* * *

 **Hazel**

" _Take cover! Earthquake! repeat! Earthqua—!"_ A magnemite's terrified cut off scream broke me from my fearful quivering as I slowly removed an ear from over my eye. The once pristine room had now spiraled into utter madness. The walls and ceiling had begun to collapse; dust and smoke started to fill the area as the once intimidating police force tried their absolute hardest to run. The calming blue lighting was replaced by harsh red and black from a fire that had broken out nearby.

I tried to push myself to my feet, but my previously injured leg spasmed in pain again. I scanned my surroundings for a moment, my eyes eventually landing on a startled riolu clutching a knife in his right hand whilst sitting on the ground, his eyes darting around the environment..

"Matthew! Are you alright?!" I limped over to the riolu and placed my front paws on his shoulders and began examining him for any injuries. He winced in pain suddenly during my search. Why did…? Oh! I removed my paw from his right shoulder. "Oof...sorry…"

"H-Hazel…? We need to get outta here!" He scrambled to his feet, wobbling because of the now dissipating tremors. He suddenly presented his weapon sideways at me. "H-hold this a sec…"

I tilted my head at him, but followed his orders anyway. I took the hilt of his weapon in my mouth, biting hard on the rubber handle. As quickly as he could, one of his arms wrapped around my back, the other around my haunches. Again, he lifted me off the ground.

"L-let's go! There's gotta be a new escape route around here somewhere!" He took his weapon from my mouth, holding me only with one arm, with the other holding the human weapon. I grabbed onto his neck for extra support.

"Escape?! What are you speaking about?! The police are right there Matt! They'll help us!"

"N-no! Y-you've seen this town! I don't think the police will forgive me for charging at them with a damn knife! We gotta get out of this town pronto!" He stuttered as he started to run to Arceus knew where.

This... _this_ _twat_! He could run, but I was staying. I'm _not_ letting this riolu ruin this city!

"Well unhand me! Now!" I struggled in his hold, causing him to look at me with concern in his eyes. His grip only tightened. " _Matthew."_

"No! I'm not losing you! Not now! ! We just need to escape ASAP!"

Before I could even respond, Matt jumped out of the way off some burning debris that fell from the ceiling, crushing several displays in its wake.

As he ran, I wittinessed the utter calamity around us. Magnemites lay strewn about the floor in several states of unconsciousness underneath piles of rubble, while the pangoro held both the aegislash and bisharp over his shoulders and ran out the massive hole in the wall created by the police, while the gardevoir was nowhere to be seen.

Just as we got to the exit of the room, a bolt of lightning narrowly missed us, originating from that magnemite with the growlithe; who was pinned under debris.

" _You're not getting away!"_ The magnetic ball shouted as we turned the corner and ran past the statue of Arceus and Algaloe. " _Daaaamnnn youuuuuu!"_

The officer's voice echoed throughout the building as we ran out the ruined front door of the library.

The familiar humidity of Felicity Creek washed over me, followed by heavy rain pouring over us, soaking us almost immediately. Bloody rain...

I took a quick glance back at the ivory tower behind me. One of the walls had collapsed, revealing smoke cascading out into the intense precipitation. I just stared at the intense damage dealt to the building as Matt made some distance between us and the library. He ran across the short bridge, into the large park island, running to a familiar canopy of green trees that had started migrating away from this city.

"Firmis!" The riolu huffed, making his way through the huge legs of the torterra herd, eventually stumbled into our friend.

"Oh? Why if it isn't Matt and Hazel! Lovely weather isn't it?"

"Uh...yeah...nice…" the canine coughed while getting soaked, shooting occasional glances at the large tower behind us that was now swarming with practically the entire police force surrounding around the structure. "H-hey, do you have room for two up there?"

He wasn't seriously suggesting…?

Firmis scratched his chin thoughtfully with a vine, before smiling lightly at us.

"Of course! Two drifters eh? Off to see the world? Hop on!"

Bollocks...this was a right mess. That officer saw me with Matt...I'd probably be considered an accomplice or a kidnapping victim...bollocks. Today was not my day...bloody hell Matt…

Before I could say anything, a vine wrapped around Matt's waist and picked us both up and placed us on his forest of a back. His vine ruffled Matt's head fur eliciting a nervous chuckle from him, before the large appendage moved onto my head and did the same before it retracted.

"Oh! And could you please hold my boy Scamp for me? He's a bit rowdy at the moment…"

Matt crouched and let me down onto the grassy back of Firmis. When the torterra herd started to move, Matt let out a sigh of relief, wiped his brow and smiled at me warmly.

"We're safe now! You alright?"

Alright?

 _Alright?!_

What was this bastard thinking?! Dragging me into this situation?! He _could've_ just dropped the knife and tried to speak to the police, but _nooooooooo_ , he just blindly ran into this! I needed to give him a piece of my mind!

I marched over to him, breathing heavily. He stared at me with a confused expression and a tilted head. I stood on my hinds and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Oh...going in for another hug—?" He was about to place his arms around my back, but with my other paw I slapped him across the face, which recoiled it to the side. He froze and hovered a paw over his cheek with his mouth hanging open.

His eyes slowly met mine, the normally gentle and friendly gaze was replaced by sheer confusion, as well as a hint of anger and sadness.

"What did...I…" He sputtered, his eyes refusing to break contact with mine, even when I withdrew from him and took a few steps back. "W-why did you…what's your problem?!"

" _My problem?!"_ I hissed at him, causing him to physically flinch. " _You're the one with a problem!_ Are you thinking with something other than your brain?! I dunno what compelled you to carry onto that bloody knife, but look where it's gotten us. We're bloody fugitives now!"

"But...I...you..." he practically whimpered. "you're safe now…"

"Yeah, until we have the entire police force of the east descending upon us. What then Matthew? Because we just helped trash a national landmark, so they're not going to be too happy! So unless you can use your big puppy eyes to dissuade them, we're done for!"

Still holding his cheek, the sadness in his eyes started to fade, slowly changing into anger as he stared at his feet, probably searching for a comeback. He scanned me over before grunting quietly and turning away from me in defeat, walking over to a nearby bush under the tree upon Firmis' back and retrieving little Scamp and sitting down with the infant turtwig resting on his lap, while taking cover from the rain under the tree.

"Hmph." I reached up to adjust my glasses, only to remember that they were broken. I removed my reading apparatus from my bag, shivering as I held the broken blue metal in my paw. Oh, no…those were my favourite pair...I sighed and placed them back where they belonged: next to a red pair and green pair of specs. "B-bugger…"

I felt tears already stinging at my eyes. What was I to do?! Where was I to go?! T-that bastard Matt! He just ruined my one chance at figuring anything out...of course he did...he was supposedly a " _human"_ after all. They had a habit of fucking things up beyond belief. No wonder why they went missing...I let a few tears fall as I pulled out my diary, along with the green specs.

No...just keep it together Hazel...this'll work out...this'll work out…

Before I wrote anything however, a question popped up in my mind. I traversed to the front of Firmis' body, lightly stepping down onto his head and rested, not caring about the rain pouring on me. I lay down upon his head and sighed.

"Firmis?"

"What is it my child?"

With another sigh I responded, "Where is your herd migrating to anyways?"

"I dunno truthfully...I'm not the leader of this here herd...but my hunch is telling me that we're gonna pass by Mount Cosma…"

 _Mount bloody Cosma?! That was ages away!_

In fact, it's farther away from this city than that path I met Matt...

Argh...this was a right mess I had gotten myself into…I had to stay strong and persevere...like mummy told me to…

 _Mummy..._

"Hazel…? You alright up there?" Firmis' gravelly voice broke me out of my moping state. "You went kinda quiet 'lil lady…"

"I-I'm fine! I promise!" I faked a big smile. "I was just thinking about all of the rumours and stuff about that mountain! H-heh!"

"Mmhmm...I've seen that place more times than I'd like to...gives me the heebie jeebies...come to think of it that place hasn't changed over the centuries…" he shuddered, which didn't feel too dissimilar to that pangoro's earthquake earlier.

I suppose that's one place I haven't visited yet...just keep your head up Hazel, and you'll make it...it'll all work out...eventually…

But still...those supposed knights that attacked us…who were they? Why did they attack us? This was all very mind boggling. Lord Starmie...have I heard this name before…?

"Still, lil' eevee, I think you should probably take shelter under my oak...I don't want you catching a cold or anything like that little one…" the torterra suggested, his deep voice full of concern.

I only just now realised how soaked I was, practically to the bone. Shivers shot throughout my entire body as I looked back at the tree, yearning for the shelter.

"Y-you're right Fi-Firmis...I really should take shelter…and um...thank you for having us…" I squeaked, before climbing up onto his back.

"Mmhmm, any time lil lady."

I hastily scurried across his back, eventually taking cover from the torrential rain under the massive tree that called Firmis' back home, sitting in between two roots and huffing because of how close I was to _him_.

I shot a quick glance at the riolu, who coldly stared back at me, his eyes full of anger. It would've been almost scary, if he wasn't cradling the baby turtwig like...well, a baby. The young canine rolled his eyes at me and stared down at Scamp, his face softening somewhat as he rocked the tiny creature gently in his arms.

I shook my entire body to dry myself after unclipping my bag, spraying everything around me with rainwater. Even Matt. I could've sworn that he growled at me.

I adjusted my glasses once again and looked down at my diary flipping it open and searching for a blank page. But I froze upon opening a page marked: ' _7/10/753.'_ Three days ago. That's when I met Matt...Underneath the date was an unfinished sketch of the riolu and I, both smiling widely. Oh...oh yeah...I forgot about that...I wanted to rub him out of the picture but...it was my best drawing of a riolu to date…

I sighed in defeat, refusing to erase the doodle.

" _That gardevoir's right...you are unhealthily obsessed with riolus…I mean, just look at the drawing pages in your diaries...yes, even THAT page."_ I tried to rationalise my obsession, but my attraction to the emanation pokemon proved too strong to shake.

Curse my hormones...why did he have to be a riolu?! One who is also a human?!Thanks Arceus. Just throw my two favourite things into one body...Thanks, no really... _thanks._

Giving the drawing one last glance, I slammed the book shut and reached into my bag, withdrew my blanket and threw it over my body and made a makeshift nest or burrow, exhaustion finally catching up with me. My body ached, my head was thumping and I felt violated because of gardevoir revealing my _most_ personal secret; especially in front of a riolu. I desperately needed sleep.

I poked my head out from my cozy spot and got one last look at Felicity Creek in all of its beauty. We crossed a large bridge leading westward into the dense jungle, away from the boardwalk city. The Sapphire Library had a massive pillar of smoke rising up into the rainy sky, accompanied by police spotlights scanning the building as onlookers watched the damaged landmark in horror.

A visceral silence loomed over me as I stared blankly into space, my eyes refusing to stay open any longer.

Tomorrow was another day.

At least Mount Cosma could be an interesting subject to write about, being the tallest mountain on Gaia...

* * *

 **Sir Gardevoir**

 _1 hour later…_

 _Absolutely brilliant!_

 _I'm absolutely brilliant!_

Ahaha...Gardy Gardy Garde...this has got to be your most spectacular scheme yet!

Even this rather droll police station office or the memory of that grizzly sight in the interloper's mind wasn't enough to dissuade my giddiness as I fidgeted about in my seat. Granted, my beautifully slender leg still burned in pain thanks to that little foxy girl, but I'd be fine.

I examined the detective's cramped office for a moment. Hmm, rather untidy...this place could use a good dusting. Maybe some reorganisation. Oh! Perhaps some—

The sound of a door clicking open behind me snapped me back into my victim supreme mode. I hunched over, pathetically pulling this blanket over my shoulders and grabbing my biceps. I even started to shiver, just for effect.

A rather glum looking magnemite floated into the room, his once shiny chassis now all dull and full of dents. In his left magnet, he held a cup of steaming brown liquid that just smelt absolutely divine.

"Here you go...hot chocolate, just like you asked for right?" He handed it over to me, taking a seat…? Floating. He was floating above his seat.

"O-of course detective…" I shot a quick glance at his fine wooden desk, which held a shiny nameplate. "...Booker...I—there's extra cinnamon in this right?"

"Yes…?"

"Ah, many thanks my floaty friend. Erm...where was I…? Oh yes!" I clicked my fingers, before placing the back of my hand on my forehead. "What a horrible day I've had today! First my dear friend shorty is _brutally_ assaulted by that nasty blue mutt...then his attack fox almost rips my leg clean off! Can you believe it? And then that big pangoro decides to smash up the museum like a brute!"

"Yeah…that was a real disaster in there... I don't even _want_ to know how much that fiasco costed…" The metallic sphere closed his eye and shuddered, before reopening it and staring at me with a tired expression. "Alright Gardevoir. You said you can help us with this fine mess...that true?"

I nodded at him.

"Of course! Believe it or not, I have about twenty years worth of law work under my belt," I smirked at him coyly, edging towards the desk and placing my mug down. From one of the bags attached to my belt, I presented a very ornate golden badge with a dragon engraved on it. "Prosecutor of her majesty Queen Maria the second's courtrooms."

An impressed whistle somehow came from Booker as he got a close look at it.

"Wow. Bigwig huh? How is the Western Reach anyway?"

I shrugged casually. "If you enjoy rain that isn't lukewarm, be my guest."

"Ugh...I'll pass," He shuddered, before starting to write down his crime documents. "Anyway, for what reason are you aiding us? It's not everyday we have people volunteering to help us...what gives?"

"I...let's just say, that there's something...concerning, about this little riolu, you might say. Something about his identity that could shake the very foundation of the entire Cosmic Continent…" I lounged back on my chair and folded my arms.

Booker's eye tightened as he shot a skeptical look at me. "His...identity…?"

"Mmhmm. His identity. This fact is so mind blowing it just _has_ to be published! The tabloids would be all over that story like a venomoth to the brightest of lights! You see...that riolu is a human being..."

"No...that's impossible...a _human?!_ Like from all those years ago?!"

"Correctamundo!"

"Th-this is ludicrous! A human in a Pokemon's body...this sounds like a kids book...I need a second...are you being truthful? How do you know this?!"

"I couldn't help but peer into his mind of course," I shrugged. "And what I saw? Humans. Lots of them. Fighting. Don't ask why I was poking around in the first place."

"This can't be real...I must be dreaming!"

"Reality is stranger than fiction my dear friend…" I had this idiot practically wrapped around my finger. "It's just how you choose to perceive it. Simple. Now. Onto more pressing matters…let's discuss your rewards for aiding me...imagine. The fame and the fortune you and your men would gain in succeeding in capturing a real life human-turned-riolu! You'd be heroes!"

His eye seemed to brighten up at the mere mention of heroism. Bingo. Just the reaction I wanted.

"H-heroes you say? Like...people would stop us for our autographs?"

I simply nodded at him. The detective was quiet for a moment, which he spent staring at his document with a blank expression, his eye slowly shooting between me and the paper.

"Alright gardevoir, I—"

"Please. Call me Gabriel. Not Gabe though. _Especially_ not Gabe."

"Well, alright then Gabriel. I think we can work together!" His eye filled with a childlike glee as he offered me a magnet, which I gladly took and started shaking gently.

"Likewise, Booker."

We nodded at each other and made ourselves comfortable in our chairs.

"So, detective, what's our first plan of action? How do we go about this...situation?" I asked in between sips of my warm drink. "Because I'm not too familiar with the inner machinations of the Eastern Reach's whole law scene…"

"First we're gonna have to address this situation to the public…" he sighed as he started to jot things down upon his case file. How did he hold his pencil…? Hmm...fascinating. "Ugh...I suppose I can send an agent or mercenary out for the time being…Magnezone will have my hide if he finds out..."

Mercenary…? Oh my...I liked this town's style!

The floating ball was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Alright Gabriel...I'm sending a mercenary out. Target's a riolu right? Got that weird aura stuff…I think I know just the person for this—"

"I've heard enough." A sudden feminine voice rang out, causing both of us to jump and stare back at the door, where a riolu wearing a salvaged pair of tinted human glasses stood with a paw sassily placed on their hip. A riolu…? It couldn't be—

"I take it you need _my_ help again, Booky."

No...that's definitely a girl...silly me...well, that interloper was rather emotional...perhaps he _was_ a—

"How long were you there?!"

"Long enough." The riolu swaggered over to the desk, putting a lot of hip into her walk and swinging her other arm from side to side. I liked her already. She hopped up onto the desk, folding one little leg over the other and placing both paws on her lap. Her little feet couldn't even reach the floor, she was utterly adorable! "So...I guess you want me to track down a blue mutt for you, hmm?"

"Yes...are you up to this task Riley?"

Riley? How simply...unoriginal...like calling an eevee 'Eve,' ahaha…

The riolu was quiet for a moment, reaching into the depths of her _very_ puffy navy-blue scarf and retrieving a small metal circle that flipped open. From a quick glance, I saw my own beautiful reflection in the object. Clever girl, a mirror is always a fine tool to own!

"Very well," she expressed nonchalantly, quickly clapping her mirror shut and placing it back where she got it. "I'll play along with your little scavenger hunt. Just point me where to go, and I'll have your target just like that!" She snapped her fingers just for emphasis.

This one was rather...sassy. I liked her already. I reached into my bag, retrieving the blue fur of the interloper and offering it to her.

"Here you are my dear. I'm not sure how much this'll help, but I assure you it belongs to our little target," I explained as she took the strand of fur from my much larger hand and flicked her glasses onto her forehead, eyes immediately squinting as she tried to keep the light out of them. "Now. Chop chop! Time's 'a wastin!"

"Alrighty." With an unconcerned shrug, the riolu jumped down from the fine oak desk and placed the fur into her scarf. She flicked her glasses back over her eyes as she approached the exit of the office, walking with the same sassy swagger she had entered with. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and slowly looked over her shoulder and smirked back at the detective and I. "I guess I'm off. Don't you boys have _too_ much fun without me, I'll have your little riolu lickity-split. See you soon Booky…"

And with that, she was gone, off to capture that human. Excellent! That's four people now hunting him down for that lazy starfish, and I barely had to even raise a finger...ahaha, I'm nothing short of brilliant!

"Alright Booker, I'll help you with your speech," I spun around to the magnet policeman. "I _always_ know just what to say…"

 _ **End of chapter...**_


	7. Chapter 7: The Luminous City

(AN) Hello again! Welcome back to PoD!

Now, this chapter will be dedicated for character development for our protagonist, because I believe he has some of the least at the moment- that's not a good thing. I hope to get this boi a character of his own.

But disclaimer aside, let's begin.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7: The Luminous City**_

 **Matt**

 _Brr…_

Cold wind awoke me, along with the light tremors from Firmis' titanic march. My eyes adjusted to the bright sun that the tree failed to block. I lay on the grassy back of the torterra, facing the great blue sky above that was completely devoid of clouds. It was rather...serene. I couldn't help but stare.

But...what has my 'life' as a riolu been so far? I stared upwards at a cyan paw, scanning the black pads on my palm and three digits. Why was I in this body? And who in god's name was this 'Lord Starmie character?' Why was he after my hide? I was only a kid...this wasn't fair...I just wanted to go home…I didn't even _want_ to know how long I'd last in this hellish land on my own...

My moment of wistful staring was interrupted by something stirring under my armpit, followed by a small head nuzzling my neck. It was Scamp! (The lack of fur was a dead giveaway) He squeaked quietly in his gentle sleep, blissfully unaware of practically anything around him. I envied how peaceful the turtwig was. Kid probably didn't have to worry about anything in life, considering that he would be protected by this massive herd for the next...what? Thousand years, give or take.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at the sleeping infant, carefully sitting up and nudging him off my body and resting him gently on his father's back. Standing up slowly, I raised both arms above my head and stretched, letting out a surprisingly high pitched yawn while examining my surroundings. The herd navigated through an absolutely beautiful green plain that went on as far as the eye could see, paired with the clear blue sky above and an extremely large mountain peeking over the horizon directly in front of the herd, which seemed to be their destination.

I took a step forward out of the cool shade of the tree, into the bright sunlight of the morning. An extremely pleasant warmth washed over me as I started to bask. Even in my dire situation, I couldn't help but feel a calm sense of safety in the light of the sun. I closed my eyes and sighed. By the stars, this was pleasant.

But a high pitch squeak of a yawn broke me out of my trance. It must've been Scamp again, he was probably awake now. I turned around, only to see the turtwig still asleep where I left him. Strange...who made that—? Oh no…I slowly gazed over to the right of Scamp, seeing a very familiar pink blanket starting to stir. Poking out of the fabric was a long brown ear that twitched somewhat. This was then followed by a certain eevee's small head emerging from it as well, looking around to focus her eyes. But her tired gaze slowly landed on me, her once calm face twisting into disgust at the very sight of me. Even at a distance, I heard her audibly snort and duck back into cover, before re-emerging wearing a pair of glasses. Looks like she had a spare, this set was green and rectangular, as opposed to the blue ovals of her previous pair. Guess I had to get used to this look now…

I felt absolutely terrible about yesterday...I should've just listened to her and stayed…

But now what? Where did I go from here? I didn't have the slightest clue as to where I was or where anything even is in this land, and the only person who could've helped me hated me now…

I reached up and felt the cheek where she had slapped me. I could've handled that situation better…I sighed and turned away from the tiny fox, looking onward to the mountain that even from this distance was frighteningly tall. But something atop the silver mount caught my eye, a large structure upon its peak. It rose into the high heavens, with two objects stretching out from the sides. My curiosity piqued as I took a few small steps forward across the torterra's back, tilting my head slightly at the strange tower standing atop the mount. What was that…?

In my moment of distant staring, I was interrupted by walking straight off of Firmis' back, landing face first on top of his head with a heavy thud. Ow…my everything...my entire body ached from what had transpired yesterday, and this fall _certainly_ wasn't helping.

"Mornin' Matt," The colossal tortoise casually greeted me. "Would you be surprised if I told you that you aren't the first person to do that?" He chuckled to himself loudly. "Anyway, could I offer you some breakfast? Well, I say offer but really those nuts just grow on me...that and they have really tough shells, so if you can crack em, be my guest!"

"Do you just offer those to everyone that hitches a ride on you?" I asked him, sitting up with crossed legs.

"Of course! You travelers keep the wildlife in check by eating 'em!" He guffawed again."How do you think we keep our backs nice and tidy?"

"I...I never would've thought of it that way...but no thank you, I'm—"

 _Rumble…_

That was my stomach, wasn't it?

"I think your tummy says otherwise!" He guffawed once again. "Hop on up 'lil riolu! Should be a bush or something up there!"

I bowed my head in respect for the elder, despite the fact he couldn't see my gesture. "Thank you Firmis…But before I go, do you know anything about that mountain over there? The huge one with the thing on top."

The torterra was silent for a moment, his head angling upward to the great mountain on the horizon.

"That…" He heavily sighed, his usually jolly voice vanishing as he stared off aloofly. "That is Mount Cosma. The tallest mountain on all of Gaia. That place just screams trouble if you ask me...if I were you, pup, I'd steer clear of that place...heck, I'd stay away from the entire area around that damn place."

"How so…?"

He shook his head and sighed again. "Look at the base of the mountain…"

I squinted, focusing my attention downward...Oh my stars…!

Large silver towers stood at the base of Mount Cosma, the sunlight that shone on them made it almost blinding to even look at. It was a city by the looks of it!

"It's...It's a city!" I chirped, my tail starting to wag like crazy. Why was I so excited? I didn't even know! "Is it a human one? Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Woah Nelly! Calm yourself! Quite the enthusiast aren't you?" His somber demeanor momentarily disappeared, replaced instead by his usual jolliness. "I can tell why you and 'lil eevee are a team, heh. Anyway, you hit the nail right on the head 'lil pup. It is indeed a human city…"

A strange combination of feelings greeted me as he finished his sentence. Regret when thinking about Hazel, excitement in the confirmation about the owners of the city and a foreboding sense of dread about the how any potential humans would react to seeing me in this...form…

No...stay focused Matthew! My dad said to never yield...I hope I could live up to his advice...wherever he could be…

I shook my head. No! No time to mope! I had to get to that city!

"Firmis?" I timidly asked the giant tortoise; who gave me a quiet 'Hmm?' "W-when's the next time we're stopping?"

The father was silent for quite some time, before letting out the largest sigh I've heard yet and lightly shook his head.

"There's no convincing you otherwise, is there…? Well, I'm not gonna stop you from going there riolu pup, if it's what your heart desires...but I'd _heavily_ recommend you not go there…" Firmis suggested. "Humans—heck, anything relating to them is just bad news, even if the matriarch says otherwise…but...we'll be stopping in a couple of hours...if you want..."

That stung me to my core...I was just starting to realize how isolated I was in this world...I had nothing...absolutely nothing...other than this knife and my name...I wanted to go home...I had to persevere...I had to…

"I...I will…"

"So...what about the eevee? You taking her with you?" He asked. Hazel...what would I do about her? I shot a glance backward to the base of the tree, where the eevee lay curled up in a ball on top of her blanket, still sleeping by the looks of it. I bit my lip. She was here...because of me...and she hated me...I...I didn't think she'd want to speak to me anymore...

"Matt? You ok?"

"O-oh! Yeah...I'm fine...I...Hazel and I...we decided to split ways last night…"

"Oh...That's a darn shame...I take it ya'll weren't a…erm…a... _couple_ couple?"

I instinctively reached up and grabbed my aura tendrils, tugging on them in embarrassment.

"N-no! We weren't!" I choked. Why did everyone just assume we were a thing?! "I-I've only known her for three days!"

"Oh...Sorry, pup...I just sorta…sorta...uh..." the torterra stammered, using a vine to rub the top of his head, which wasn't too far away from me. "...my bad…it's just a lot of two person teams hitch rides on my back...I just sometimes jump to these funny conclusions...last team was a mudkip and charmander I believe...they were pretty cute…"

"I-it's alright Firmis…but...a charmander?" I asked with a subtle smile growing on my muzzle. "How didn't he uh...burn you...y'know? With his tail?"

"Us torterra are a hardy bunch. We don't burn to the smallest of embers." His voice displayed a clear, powerful pride in his species. "That, and the charmander was aware of his flaming butt and sat on the rocks on my back. Nice kid. Even if he _did_ bicker with his friend a lot…"

"You meet quite the characters huh?" I joked before my mood soured when I thought of my 'travel buddy.' I shook my head once more and sighed.

I had to leave her.

My own rashness had gotten her into this mess, and I wasn't prepared to hurt her or get her into any more trouble than I already have. With one last sigh, I stood up in search for sustenance...

* * *

The sun hung directly overhead, signaling that noon had come. The herd had stopped near a river for a drink, while I prepared to leave for that city.

I sat with a handful of walnuts and berries in each paw, trying to find out where on earth I could store these. There had to be somewhere...gosh darn it! I was near certain that these blue things on my waist were shorts/pants! They had to be! They didn't make sense otherwise! Well...I wasn't willing to go au naturel in front of this entire herd and Hazel just to find out! Maybe when I was alone I could attempt to...strip…No! Keep it together Matthew! Whether or not you can get naked is _far_ from your greatest concern right now!

Shaking my odd thoughts of nudism aside, I placed my assortment of food on the ground below and walked over to Hazel; who was surprisingly still fast asleep, laying on her side with her glasses hanging half off her face and snoring gently. I gave a small, yet sad smile to the eevee who was apparently quite the heavy sleeper. I properly adjusted her glasses up and moved to her bag, searching through it until I found a pencil and a loose piece of paper that wasn't absolutely covered in notes or doodles. I sat down and started to write, even despite the poor handwriting my three digits gave me.

" _Hazel. I don't know if I have the courage to say goodbye to you in person, all things considered. But I'm writing this because I'm sorry. I truly am. What compelled me to run in such a stupid manner is beyond me. It was even worse because I refused to listen to what you said. I guess I was a bit short-sighted in that regard."_ I paused, watching as the paper soaked in a tear that I let fall upon it. But regardless...I had to continue. " _I understand if you no longer wish to associate with me anymore. But, you'll always be my friend, (even if we barely knew each other) and it pains me to say goodbye. But I have to. Goodbye, Hazel. -Matthew J. Wolfe."_

'J?' Where did that come from...? Whatever...It didn't matter…

I stood up into a kneeling position, folding my note and placing it under her paw for when she woke up.

I gave her one last smile and turned away from her, knowing it would be the last time I'd ever see the eevee, letting my waterworks leak even further. Every part of my being didn't want to leave her, but I had to. But a gentle biting feeling on my ankle stopped me in my tracks, followed by a high pitched whine. I stared down, only to see Scamp pulling on my leg gently. I sighed and pulled away from him and knelt down. I scooped the (surprisingly heavy) turtwig up in my paws, walking over to the sleeping eevee and placing him down on the same blanket and patted him on the head. He let out another high pitched whine as I turned to leave again.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Scamp staring at me with big sad eyes. Oh for heaven's...he was so...cute!

"Aww...C'mon Scamp...don't look at me like that…you're just making me feel guilty..."

I had to physically force myself away from the infant as I picked up only what I could from the pile I had left. I didn't want to even attempt to carry it all. Slinging it under one arm, I hopped off of Firmis' back, onto the grassy ground below. I navigated around to the edge of the river, where Firmis stood with his head down to the water, drinking with a very large tongue. His right eye slowly opened as it slowly looked at me as I approached, his expression that of a lukewarm smile.

"Ah...I...I suppose it's time for us to part ways then Matt?"

"Looks like it," I sighed, taking a few steps closer to him. "thank you for the ride. I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure 'lil pup—" He cut himself off as I stood up on tiptoes, reaching up and hugging the side of the torterra's face in gratitude for how generous he was to Hazel and I. While likely surprised, he lightly chuckled, wrapping a vine around my back and returned the hug as best he could. Though we only hugged for a brief moment, it genuinely warmed my heart that at least one person enjoyed my company. "Aww...you're too kind…"

"But can you please promise me one thing Firmis?"

"Hmm?" He tilted his head. "What would that be?"

"Just please take care of Hazel for as long as she travels with you...please?"

"You have my word 'lil pup." He nodded at me with a solemn expression. "Us torterra _never_ break our promises…"

"Thank you Firmis…"

"Matt. If you're ever alone or need help...follow this river, my child...The Riverbend Herd will always be there for you. Tell them 'ol Firmis said so." He smiled warmly at me as we broke our brief hug. He ruffled my head fur with a vine one last time. "I wish you luck on the road ahead, my child…"

"Thank you for everything...I guess I'll see you later..."

We exchanged one last nod before I started navigating my way through the herd, knife, and food in hand. After a few minutes of walking under the legs of the torterra, I eventually reached the edge of the congregation. I stood facing the endless green plain, staring at the great mountain with the city at its base. I took in a large gulp of air. This is where my journey began now. I started marching towards the impossibly tall mountain, pushing my thoughts about Hazel and those four assassins behind me. I hoped to whatever god that the city could provide some answers about who _I_ was. With one last hesitant look back towards the safe gathering of pokemon, I started my journey to the city and whatever answers it could hold...

 _Goodbye Hazel…_

* * *

After about an hour of traversing the great plain, I eventually stumbled across a large dark grey road with four sets of yellow lines running across. Dotting the large, yet desolated road was broken down vehicles in several states of disrepair. Bingo. This was definitely a human-built road; it also conveniently led to where I was going. Things were definitely looking up for me...

I walked atop the dividing line, staring up at the endless azure sky above. Still as beautiful as it was earlier—ow!

In my moment of distraction, I had somehow managed to bump into a much smaller, two-wheeled vehicle that blocked my path. Who parked this here…? Never mind…

But upon closer inspection, the storage compartment had something poking out of it! I carefully opened the blue motorbike's trunk, revealing an article of clothing! It was a sleek black pair of motorbike goggles! Nice! My tail started wagging again as I hastily took the eyewear in my paws. I bet I'd look cool in these! How do I adjust these? Could I even wear them? I carefully put them over my eyes, the black tinting of the lenses dimming the bright sun. Aha! They fit on top of my muzzle quite snuggly! I played around with the elastic that went around my head, adjusting it so it wouldn't be too tight or loose, while also making sure they didn't catch on my ears or aura appendages. Shame there was no mirror around…unless…

I slowly looked just above the handlebars of the motorbike. Lo and behold: a set of rear view mirrors. I was an idiot...quietly chuckling to myself, I wiped the dusty mirror clean with my forearm and admired myself. They actually fit alright! Stylish too. Might just keep 'em.

"H-heh...lookin' good Matt…" I giggled quietly, before gazing to the rest of the broken down highway. Then a thought hit me.

What if there was more cool stuff in the rest of these vehicles? I pushed my goggles up into my forehead and rubbed my chin while staring at all the abandoned cars and trucks nearby. The original owners _weren't_ using them after all…

My search was mostly fruitless until I came across a gray car that took quite a bit of force to open. It was as devoid of useful items as the other ones, save for a camouflage rucksack that looks like it has seen its fair share of better days laying in the back seat. I opened it up and emptied its contents onto the seat. Looked to be a bunch of school supplies...I shuddered as I saw what appeared to be an ID of whoever owned this bag. I tried to find the owner's name, but it was far too faded and old to even properly decipher. What _happened_ to humanity?

Shaking these awful thoughts aside, I placed my food and knife in the rucksack, wearing it around my back. It was a tad...large...for me….but it'll do I suppose…

Now that I was fully accessorized, I was ready to hit the road again…

I began to move across the road again, my backpack chafing against my backward-facing ankles…gosh darn it...

* * *

Here I was at last. The entrance to the city. A large blue rhombus shaped sign overshadowed the dilapidated road, with large lettering underneath stating the name of the city:

" _Welcome to Vigrade, The Luminous City! Home of Algaloe, Bastion of Humanity!"_

The once clear blue sky was slowly being taken over by a sheet of gray clouds, a subtle chill piercing my fur.

Even from a considerable distance from the city center, I could still clearly see the titanic steel buildings that shot up into the high heavens, paired with equally as massive amounts of vines and plant life that dominated the city. I looked upwards to the mountain. It completely dwarfed the settlement. But I could now clearly make out what stood atop Gaia's tallest peak; a frighteningly large golden statue of a robed human. Their arms were spread outwards like wings and their hooded head was tilted upward to face the sky. It was an absolutely beautiful sight! I wish I could get a closer look at the statue of the mysterious being, but I wasn't brave (or stupid) enough to try and scale that beast of a mountain. Maybe if I had the right gear or supplies...

The great human city stood utterly silent in the now chilly afternoon. The urban streets were desolate and overgrown, with utterly no signs of human life anywhere to be seen. This wasn't a good sign.

"H-hello?!" I shouted, my voice echoing throughout the empty street. No response. "Hellooooooo?! Um...i-if anyone is out there...I could really use your assistance!"

Still no response.

Of course there wouldn't be.

The only inhabitants I even saw, was the occasional flock of wild pidove: All of which flew away from me as I got close.

I loudly groaned and kicked a pebble away, crossing my arms while starting to huff. Did I seriously just come here for nothing?! M-maybe I should just head back… I missed Firmis already…

I closed my eyes and started shaking, grabbing my biceps and squeezing them...what would I do now…? I had no idea…I guess I could just explore the city some more...it's all I could do...

I exhaled heavily, looking for anywhere that caught my attention…

I walked through the empty streets for a short amount of time, making sure to call out for any humans occasionally. All attempts ended up with my voice echoing the cityscape, followed only by a harsh silence that only furthered my feelings of immense isolation and loneliness. Which was then subsequently followed by even more pidove flying away...rats with wings... This was not my day…But as I started to sink deeper and deeper into this pit of sadness, a rather broken and static sounding intercom sounded, immediately catching my attention. The voice spoke in a somewhat distorted feminine voice.

" _C-c-c-come drop by-by-by V-mart! The number—"_ The voice suddenly cut out, which gave me a fright. This was then followed by the voice sounding again, giving me another fright! This town… " _-number one superstore in all of V-V-Vigrade! Fresh-fresh food! Latest Fash-fashion! All at superbly low prices! Vmart! For all your shopping needs! (Located in district 3)"_

The advertisement ended itself with a cute jingle, leaving me standing in silence and with the sudden urge to visit the superstore. If anywhere had supplies; or maybe even humans, it'd probably be there! Now where on earth was this so-called 'District 3?' No, scratch that—where the hell was _I_? I looked around my surroundings for any street sign that could lead me to where I wanted to go. Peering at a nearby sign, I read the names on the green pieces of triangular metal.

Northern Boulevard...Algaloe Street...Luminary Place…

Ok, that was just...unhelpful...what district was I in?!

I huffed and began walking in a random direction. Hopefully, I could find something of use…

After another god knows how long amount of time spent walking, I eventually came across a small building with a sign above the door that read "train station." Bingo!

Pushing open the squeaky glass doors, I made my way into the cozy rectangular wooden room, scanning the area for any maps or directions. Before moving to the main desk, however, something in the corner of my vision caught my eye: a blue light. Shifting my attention over to it, I studied the light's source. It was a rectangular machine standing tall against the wall. It was sleek and blue with several buttons and lights on its smooth surface. Also printed on the front was curved white writing that said: 'V-Cola!'

I was immediately parched.

I approached the vending machine, placing both paws on its surface and looking for instructions; instructions that came in the form of a somewhat peeled sticker above the buttons. But before I was barely even halfway through the first word, I came to a sudden realization. I had no money for a soda. Darn. I hopelessly pressed the buttons for a moment, before dropping my shoulders and sighing. I scanned my surroundings for a second, at all the empty metal seats, before I had the urge to kick the side of the beverage dispensing unit. My foot and the side of the machine quickly met, sending painful vibrations throughout my paw.

" _Owowowow…"_ I whined as I held my foot in pain with both paws, trying desperately to keep balance with the other. Why did I do that?! I was an idiot…but contrary to my thoughts, the device yielded absolutely nothing...darn...I just wasted my time AND hurt my foot...what an adventure...with a now soured mood, I turned away from that piece of garbage on the wall and made my way to the main desk that was built into a wall, standing on my very tiptoes to reach its wooden surface. Nothing of use on top...I tried to climb up and investigate the counter, but a window separated the small office and the waiting room, blocking access to the room completely. "Darn…there has to be another way in..."

Aha! A little to the left of the desk was a staff only door leading into the office. As soon as I pulled the handle of the old door, an awful screech sounded, followed shortly by the door falling completely off its hinges inward to the room and leaving me just standing there with a door handle in my paw. I stood frozen for a second, baffled at what just happened.

"O-okay…" I stuttered, dropping the handle to tiled floor with an echoing clack.

Walking over the fallen door, I made my way into the cramped office, immediately walking to the other side of the window. After dropping my rucksack to the floor, I jumped up onto the chair and sat down. My feet dangled off the edge, not even touching the floor. I kept forgetting how tiny I was...with the thoughts of my own smallness, I started searching through the drawers. Most of them were completely empty, save for the odd pen or train schedule, none of which were of any real use to me at the moment. But my search was all but pointless, as I found a tourist's map! Bingo.

I unfolded the map and skimmed over the semicircular city layout just south of the mountain. Everything was neatly split into 5 districts, (Industrial, residential, commercial, government and religious) all conveniently equal sizes. I glanced up at a handy map on the wall, seeing that I was in the residential district, that thankfully was right nearby the commercial. Why I was so hellbent on going to that superstore was beyond me. Maybe I was just a sucker for advertisement. Whatever the case, I had to get there immediately.

I jumped onto the floor and began moving again, on my journey to V-Mart...though thinking about it...could I find my old home here? It was an interesting thought...but I needed to find supplies here first, I did not want to starve—

 _Grumble…_

Speak of the devil...

* * *

Even with this map, this city was an utter nightmare to navigate! I stood in the center of a small, overgrown park while chewing on a walnut trying to figure out where I was going, but to no avail. I was still in the commercial area, that was for sure. I had no idea how my kind could even find the way in this hellish maze of towering buildings and identical streets. Was I just bad at navigating…?

Argh...this was getting tedious now…

As I reached into my bag to pull out another tasty walnut or two, a droplet of water fell on my nose, originating from the sky. Son of a…

The first drop was shortly followed by another, then another. It was raining. I couldn't escape this infernal weather, could I? I hastily shoved the map in my bag to save it from getting soggy. I hastily scoped out the area for shelter, while also shielding myself from rain by holding my rucksack over my head. My eyes eventually landed on a tall metal box with windows on all sides that stood by a path in the hilly park. I quickly jogged over while getting soaked from the light drizzle and opened a door on the front of the odd booth, ducking down into cover.

I was glad to be free of the rain as I dropped my bag, shutting the door behind me and leaning against the back wall. I stood there for a moment, shutting my eyes and listening to the somewhat soothing pitter-patter of the rain hitting the windows. A sigh escaped my lips as I opened my eyes and looked around the booth. Slightly above me was a machine of some kind built into the wall, with some sort of shelf underneath that had a hefty looking book stored on it. Pulling said book down, it revealed itself as a phonebook! This must have been a phone booth then!

I held the Vigrade phonebook in both paws, a sudden idea coming to mind.

I started flipping through the pages of the book, skimming through pages looking for the "W" page. After a considerable amount of time turning and scanning pages, I eventually reached the one that I wanted.

"Ah...Wolfe…" I whispered, sitting down on top of my backpack with crossed legs and the book resting on my lap. "Adio...Alex...Anna...Arin...yada yada...oh! James Wolfe! Residential district, Lunar street, tower 4, 3rd-floor room 7…"

Yikes, what a mouthful…

I tore out the page and placed it inside the bag with my food, standing up and walking over to a window, placing my right paw on the cool glass. I stared at the rainy city for a moment of calmness, the sounds of the rain and the wind easing the tension I felt both mentally and physically. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead up against the glass and sighing quietly. I hoped to the high heavens that I could find something, anything that could offer some clues as to who 'Matthew J Wolfe' was.

Then another random thought assaulted me. A thought; regarding a certain eevee.

" _Hazel_ …" I silently whimpered, remembering the first person I met in this horrible world. Regret started filling my system as I started shivering profusely. I missed her…I wish I could take everything that happened at that damn museum back. I really wish I could...I clenched my fists and felt tears welling up in my eyes. Crying again Matt…? " _I-I'm sorry…"_

What would my dad do in this situation…?

He...he'd stay strong and never give up...I...I was his son...I _had_ to be strong!

Even despite my optimistic thoughts, I still couldn't help but continue to cry.

Inhaling heavily, I stood up, taking my bag up with me. I stood at the glass door, watching rainwater trickle down the window. I had to move. I knew where I was going. I wouldn't let anything stop me…

* * *

The downpour continued as I stood in the empty parking lot of a large shiny building. Its architecture was that of a harsh, angular chrome dome with entire walls of (mostly broken) windows. Atop the hideous structure was a large pole with an icon of the sun on top, decorated with a large letter 'V.'

It must've been the V-Mart I was looking for.

Rain pounded upon the ground and the building, thoroughly soaking everything in the immediate area. Myself included. My poor fur was heavy with moisture, succeeding in weighing me down significantly. Even despite the...less than aesthetically pleasing...design of the building, I needed the shelter. I scurried across the large parking area as fast as I could, reaching the door. Overhead I heard the booming of thunder echoing in the distance. Chills shot down my spine as I forced the sliding glass door aside and ran inside the superstore, closing the door behind me and huffing.

I stared out to the city from behind the glass, watching in dread as the rain only seemed to intensify, with the once light grey clouds becoming a dark shade of slate. Every time I heard the distinct crash of thunder, my body jumped in fright, causing to quiver somewhat.

G-guess I didn't like thunder then...

I gulped and turned around to the rest of the store. There was very little light to even speak of, and water leaked from the ceiling and windows, creating large puddles everywhere. The aisles stood empty and overgrown. The whole interior was completely dilapidated and in several states of abandonment. This was not looking good for me…

I looked at the bleak superstore, then back to the outside behind me. The rain was all but going away, as it just seemed to pound and pound upon the building, echoing all throughout the silent ruin. What did I do from here…? What did I-?

 _Boom!_

Agh! I let out an embarrassingly high pitched shriek, made myself as small as possible and pulled my Aura Tendrils over my eyes as lightning struck far off into the distance. G-gah... _l-lightning too?!_ C-come on…I sat there in my curled up ball, wrapping my tail around my body, refusing to even open my eyes. Why….why did it have to be lightning…? I shivered as I opened one eye and pulled the tendril from over it. My attention hastily shifted upward to the dome-shaped window above. I focused on the large pole-like sign above...it...it looked like metal! Th-there was nothing to be afraid of then! Lightning was attracted to metal...so I was safe...down here…

With the somewhat reassuring thought in my head, I slowly stood up and grabbed my biceps, squeezing on them. I took a deep breath and carefully started moving forward, towards the food aisles.

The fruit aisles were unsurprisingly empty...typical…

The tiled floor was cold on my bare feet as I explored aisle after aisle of empty shelves and displays, my search becoming more and more fruitless as I continued my expedition through the store.

Fruit section: Nothing.

Vegetable section: Nada.

Bakery…? As if It _would_ have anything…

I let out a heavy sigh and slumped down on a ruined, but still perfectly comfortable cushioned stool. I rested my head in my paws and closed my eyes. This adventure has been a disaster so far. No food found, no decent supplies, and to top it all off-

 _Boom!_

"Eek!" I shrieked again, curling into a ball once more "S-stupid l-l-l-lightning…"

As if it heard me, the sound of it striking again sounded, sending another jolt of fear down my spine as I tried to hide as best I could. N-no fair...that was just plain dirty…

I carefully looked around, until my eyes landed on a hanging sign that read "Fashion."

Fashion…? That sounded...pretty cool…

A sudden feeling of excitement coursed through my body as I jumped off of the chair and walked over to the section. Mannequins and large pictures of humans wearing the clothes decorated the now wooden section of the V-Mart. The aisles around me were surprisingly filled with all sorts of old human fashion; shoes, shirts, trousers etc. All colored only from light blue to pure white. Nothing else.

I stopped at a large mirror built into the wall (likely for humans to see if the clothes fit) and just stared at myself. I frowned at the riolu in the reflection. His cyan/gray fur was messy, with dried sweat giving it on obviously rough texture, and his light brown eyes were heavy and bloodshot from crying. Around his right arm was a neat bandage that had dried in blood spattering the once pure white. I moved closer to it and placed a paw on the cold surface, with the riolu mimicking my simple action. This wasn't me...it would never be Matthew Wolfe. _Never_.

I shook my head and turned from my reflection, staring at all the clothes around me. At least all of these pieces of fashion were making me feel something positive…With a sigh, I picked up a random shirt decorated with a large blue rhombus on the chest from a coat hanger and held it over my body in front of the mirror. It was far too large for me. Strange...it was only a medium though...How small _was_ I…?

Regardless, I dropped my bag and put the large article of clothing over my body. It came down to just below my hips. It was baggy, loose and kept slipping off my very narrow shoulders. This was useless...and upon second glance... _definitely_ not my style...maybe a darker color would suit me better...

I pulled the shirt over my head and tossed it aside, almost immediately feeling overwhelming guilt after doing so. I immediately picked it up and placed it where it was, only to then realize that this store was completely abandoned…

 _Abandoned…_

S-still no humans…where were they…?

I sharply inhaled, calling out in vain once again.

" _H-hello_?! _Is anybody there?!"_ My voice echoed through the entire building multiple times, before fading into nothingness. _P-please…"_

Nothing…

Humans...they won't truly all dead... _were they…?_

A horrifying sinking feeling started to kick in as I took a few steps back away from the mirror. This couldn't be happening...it couldn't... _was I the last—?!_

I bumped into a barrier rail that overlooked the bottom level from the floor I was on while starting to gasp for air. My legs started to buckle as I turned around and gripped the railing and overlooked an entire section of the superstore. My eyes glossed over the abandoned aisles and ruined displays, before moving upwards to the huge dome windows at the city skyline. Rain poured onto everything I could see, joined with the occasional (but still terrifying) bolt of lightning striking the chromed monoliths.

I-I...I _had_ to get home...immediately...

But my panicked staring was interrupted as I noticed a very large and ornate stone building peeking out from between the contrasting steel ones. From what little I could see of it, I could somewhat make out what appeared to be blue stain glass windows all across its walls. I hastily pulled out my map and looked at the upper-center of the semicircular city. That was apparently 'The Grand Cathedral of Vigrade.' From what the information said on this map, that was the main hub of the entire city, and that all districts lead to it. Perhaps if I headed there, I could easily make it to the residential district—

 _Boom!_

N-ngh...wh-why did it have to be lightning…?

I refused to step out there until this stupid lightning passed...just needed to wait this storm out...for now, I should see what else what other supplies I can find in this place...

* * *

So this place had an in-store library? That was pretty neat I guess…Though the fact that It was a library did bring up some...painful...memories…I couldn't let these thoughts distract me.

The shelves were (unsurprisingly) in several states of disrepair, with books scattering the floor, most ruined by water or insects. The mere thought of touching soggy paper... _ugh..._ but from what I saw, these books didn't seem like the most enjoyable types...mainly cheesy young adult books. (Judging by the covers and titles at least.) Whatever the case, these just weren't my thing. It didn't help that most of the titles were just stupid puns of pokemon names. Utterly gag worthy...

I looked around for a little while, before coming across a section dedicated to a certain book series; 'Pokemon U.' From all the posters, this seemed to be all about pokemon biology and how to care for them. Interesting…

That gave me a thought though...I quickly scanned over the alphabetically arranged shelves, looking for a particular letter. Aha! There!

I ran over to a certain shelf that was mostly untouched by nature's wrath and started looking at all the books there.

"Ralts...Rattata…remoraid...ah!" I smiled as I found a sky blue book hidden in a corner, gathering dust. Pulling it out, I looked at its front cover. It depicted an utterly adorable riolu playing with a tennis ball in their paws. "Riolu and You!"

I decided to see what the first page had to offer, before moving out. I opened the book that had seen better days.

" _Riolu. One of the most elusive pets in all of Cosma. Known for their adorable cyan fur and their big puppy eyes, these Pokemon truly make an adorable pet, and a good show of status."_ Humans…desired riolus as pets...for status? Was my family quite esteemed to have one? Interesting...regardless, I had to keep reading. " _However, they are still potentially dangerous, and can still hurt you and your family if not disciplined well. This book shall cover all of the basics for you and your furry blue friend. By the end of this book, you should be a highly qualified riolu keeper."_

Perfect! This should be useful! What were the contents like…?

" _2-15: riolu overview, 16-30: biology, 31-50: caring for your pet. 51-60: mating habits."_ Note to self, avoid pages fifty-one to sixty… " _61-80: social dynamics."_

Bingo. Just what I needed. I could study this on the road...and get used to my weird body.

Slipping the book into my damaged rucksack, I started to move again, waiting for this stupid storm to pass over. Sifting through this abandoned building for supplies was getting monotonous now...

* * *

I listened anxiously to the superstore's surroundings from atop a surprisingly well-preserved king sized bed that was very comfortable, while eating the last of my fruit and reading the first few pages of that riolu book. From the light pitter patter on the roof of this place, I could safely determine that the storm had passed...thank the stars...that lightning was scary…

How long was I stuck here? Two to three hours I was guessing. Too long anyway...

Jumping onto the floor with my bag in hand, slowly walking towards the exit, thinking of my next plan after investigating my home. This city's emptiness was really starting to get to me. Thoughts of all the social interactions kept rushing in, especially the repeated appearances of the elder torterra and the nerdy eevee... _especially_ the latter…

Gah...j-just forget about her Matt...you'll never see her again...move on… _ngh_ …

My eyes started stinging again as tears started running down my face...I...I was crying again...the amount of it I've done in this damn city was too much...my head thumped with a subtle pain that often accompanied the waterworks...

Even as I was on the verge of a complete emotional breakdown, I had to push onward, quietly sobbing to myself as I held my biceps tightly and clenching my teeth as I navigated through the store for the exit.

Before I knew it, I was outside again, a somewhat harsh wind blowing on me. It was cold, sharp and unwelcoming...something I'd expect from the late winter/early spring weather I've observed...it...it was really irritating my neck...maybe I should go back for a scarf...as if any of 'em would fit...this body...whatever…

The once dark grey clouds were thankfully much lighter now, only letting out a gentle drizzle. Thank the stars…

I slowly walked through the empty parking lot, thoughts about Hazel constantly bombarding me, hugging myself and shivering...what did I ever do to deserve this body...this world…? _What did I do…?_ It took everything in me not to collapse and bawl my eyes out. I needed to get home, I _needed_ to get home…

After another half hour of walking, I got closer and closer to the cathedral/hub of the city. I noticed that the shiny urban towers were slowly being replaced by smaller, more monolithic types of stone buildings similar to the library tower of Felicity Creek. Did the architects that built the library also have a hand in designing this portion of the city? Interesting…Even the road built for cars just abruptly stopped at a great gate leading to 'The Cathedral District.' I gulped as I read a rhombus-shaped sign with highly ornate words engraved into its shiny silver surface.

" _Humble thy soul, for you enter the home of the Saviour's Divine Majesty. May his Radiance cleanse thy soul and guide you to salvation."_

Underneath this grand sign was a smaller, less ornate one, stating many rules about entering this district.

" _No eating, drinking, running, technology, sinful garbs or pokemon are allowed in this hallowed ground. Failure to obey will result in a beating from the Holy Police."_

O-oh...that was reassuring...should I even enter…? I was carrying food...and I was a pokemon... _and I was in the buff_ …(I think)

Just to be safe…

"Hello?!" I yelled one last time beyond the holy gateway, waiting for a lack of response. Getting beat up or hit again was the last thing I wanted…once I knew that the coast was clear of any police, I proceeded into the Cathedral District; if only to catch my bearings.

Inside of the fence was a large overgrown garden of sorts, with a cobblestone path leading me towards the heart of this place. Beautiful marble statues of human figures were dotted all around this holy place. It was admittedly quite beautiful. Especially because of all of the marble bridges and rivers running through the place. Even despite the lack of proper maintenance, this place was surprisingly well preserved.

I turned my head upward to face the great sky above, my vision dominated by the giant mountain that stood behind the city. It was utterly awe-inspiring. Also, as an added bonus to this beautiful religious garden, the rain that plagued my time in the city finally decided to let up. It was almost like the miserable clouds parted over this district. Thank goodness...hopefully, it'd get warm enough for my fur to dry out. I must've smelled like wet dog at this point. Yuck.

But at last, I was in a giant plaza, with the grand cathedral standing in the middle of everything. It stood proudly with three towers jutting into the sky, two at the southward facing entrance, and the third (and tallest) standing at the back of the building. All three had silver statues standing atop, all in the same pose as the great statue atop the mountain. All pointing south. Across its stone walls were stained glass windows, all colored a similar shade of blue to my short fur. Even the rhombus symbol was there. It must have been an important symbol to my kind…

The place even had a moat surrounding it, with the towers constantly pouring more water into it via artificial waterfalls. I was drawn to this stunning building, slowly approaching its entrance. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not...but I could've sworn that I heard some sort of distant heavenly choir leading up the steps and to the grand doorway.

I stood at the entrance for a moment, staring upwards at the two giant wooden doors with ornate carvings decorating it; one of which was already slightly open. I inhaled sharply, I didn't need to be here...but something within drew me to go inside.

I pushed the open door further, stepping into the religious building, searching for whatever it could hold for this human turned riolu…

 _ **End of chapter...**_

* * *

(AN) hoo boy, that took far longer than I thought it would, but at least I still got it done. Thankfully, now that this is passed, I can finally move onto the stuff I've been dying to write for months now.

Once again, this has been TheLastRanger,

Peace.


	8. Chapter 8: Black & Blue

(AN) now. Before we begin this loooooong chapter, I'd like to clarify that I'm gonna be fixing up previous chapters of continuity problems, and making minor changes to chapters and scenes, so when the next chapter drops, there will be some story changes. Just a heads up.

But without further ado, let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: Black & Blue**_

 **Matt**

The interior of the cathedral was unwelcomingly cold as I passed through the grand doorway. The entrance room was a large atrium of stone with light pouring in from the multiple stain glass windows, bathing the entire room in a very familiar hue of light blue.

Across the walls were many rows of wooden benches, all pointed to the back of the room: where a raised shrine stood proudly. Above that, was the biggest of all the windows. It was the same cyan blue and was also in the shape of another rhombus. The window was also decorated with the human god in all of his beauty. He was depicted with his hood still up, looking upward to the heavens with what appeared to be a blue moon in his hands that rested in front of his chest. I slowly walked down the center of the aisle, the light cyan carpet below feeling quite fuzzy on my feet. This building was beautiful…

Across the walls ceiling was depictions of stars and planets, making its own little cosmos in this room. I could even spot a few galaxies portrayed here and there. So, my kind...did they worship what was beyond the planet?

I could still faintly hear that holy choir in the distance, I'd investigate, but I quickly concluded that it would just waste time doing so. Just like the rest of the religious district, this holy building was frighteningly well preserved.

I slowly made it to the altar, climbing up the large steps up to the tall table. Atop the altar provided a good view of the main aisle. I had even noticed an upper floor above the main entrance, however, it was shrouded in darkness. I examined the area for a brief moment, before shifting my attention behind me; towards the simple wooden stand.

Behind the surprisingly tall stand was a stool; likely for shorter holy people to stand on to deliver their speeches. I hopped on the helpful boost, feeling a wave of authority wash over me. I overlooked the room once more, imagining the gaze of all the humans that would be fixated on whoever stood upon this podium. The mere thought of all those people looking at me…

But atop the stand was a simple brown book decorated with (shockingly) yet another cyan rhombus in the middle. Below humanity's favorite symbol was the title of this book.

' _The Oracle.'_

This must've been the holy book of this religion. I was about to open it, but I hesitated. Should I…? I-I could be disrespecting the culture...I wasn't exactly a holy person qualified for this type of thing. It didn't help that I was inhabiting the body of a pokemon. I stared at my blue paws once again, before gulping. I was gonna regret this...

I carefully opened the book with one hand, being gentle as I possibly can. The cover was surprisingly heavy and landed with a thud after I accidentally dropped it. I tried investigating whatever was written down in 'The Oracle,' but to my surprise, (and disappointment) the entire thing was written in a completely different language. Strange runes and symbols made up the contents of every page; paired with the odd astral diagrams, made this thing utterly impossible to even decipher. Who could even read this? Somebody with a lot of time and patience to learn whatever this enigma had to say. I sighed and shut the book. It was clearly all written in that strange dialect. I'd take it with me, but the excessive weight of the book would be a massive hindrance to my poor back.

I hopped down from the stool, about to take my search elsewhere, but—

" _No luck with that nonsense, eh?"_ a sharp feminine voice called out from the rafters of this building, causing me to practically jump out of my fur. I trembled as I desperately tried to find the origin of the voice, but the darkness up there made it next to impossible to see whoever said it. " _I had the same problem too, those humies certainly knew how to be cryptic!"_

"S-s-show yourself!" I desperately called out, quickly dropping my bag and rummaging through it for my weapon. I quickly acquired my knife, holding it with both paws in front of me, slowly moving backward. "N-now!"

" _Oh...alrighty then."_ Within a flash, the upper floor was illuminated by a window revealing itself as a tarp of some kind fell down. The light dazed me for a moment, but I refused to break my line of sight with whoever was up there. Atop the safety rails stood the silhouette of a relatively short bipedal pokemon, with a hand placed on her hip. I squinted to try and see what pokemon she was. She was rather slender, had strange bumps protruding from her forearms and also had two pointy ears along with two strange tendrils that hung from her temples— _she couldn't be...could she…?_ I heard her giggle for a moment, placing a hand up to her mouth. " _What's wrong? Never seen another riolu before?"_

She quickly placed her hands in front of the opposite shoulder, jumping down and spinning in mid-air. The female riolu landed with a heavy thud, revealing herself even further. Around her neck was a large puffy navy blue scarf with a silver brooch decorating its front; which also had a small sapphire housed in it. Over her eyes were a pair of dark sunglasses, obscuring her eyes almost completely.

I took a few more steps backward, continuing to point my blade at the strangely dressed pokemon. W-who was she…?

"Relax, I'm not going to kill you!" she held her paws up to try and reassure me, before slowly walking towards me with a smirk on her face. I held my ground, but let her come closer. Once we had a good distance between us, we stared the other down.

"W-who are you?!" I demanded, refusing to put my blade down. "And what do you want with me?!"

"No need to get feisty with me... _bluey,"_ she casually shrugged, beginning to slowly circle around me, scanning me thoroughly. "my name is Riley. Riley the Riolu. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I slowly followed her with my eyes, turning my body around when my neck couldn't turn any further.

"I-I said 'who exactly are you?' answer my question!"

"A natural born inquisitor…" she scoffed, flicking an aura tendril aside with her paw. Riley stopped dead in her tracks, staring at me from behind tinted black lenses. "...but if you want an answer, I _suppose_ I could tell you…ahem, I am Riley the Riolu, mercenary extraordinaire!"

She was a mercenary?! Oh no…

"M-mercenary?! Who hired you?! Are you another one of those knights?!" I yelled desperately aggressively pointing my knife at her; to which she didn't even flinch at.

"Knight…? I don't know what you're talking about," she shrugged, fearlessly taking a few steps towards me which caused me to move away from her. "I'm here on behalf of the F.C.P.D. Here to turn you in. Simple."

She edged closer to me with the same smug expression on her muzzle.

"Riolu adolescent, wielding a human-made knife," the female canine pointed out, subtly angling her head down to my weapon. "I think you fit that description quite well...don't you?"

"T-there could be _plenty_ of adolescent riolu who have a-an interest in knives!" I awkwardly chuckled, rubbing the back of my head bashfully.

Riley was silent for a moment, before reaching into the depths of her scarf and pulling a small, strange blue metal rectangle out from it. With an elegant flip of the wrist, she turned it inside out; which revealed a small yet razor sharp looking blade. I think it was a butterfly knife.

"I suppose I _do_ fall into that category too…" she pondered as she started doing tricks with the weapon. She could seriously hurt herself with that… "but, there are two things we don't have in common," she flicked the blade shut with a metallic snap and started staring at me. "and they would be your lovely brown eyes. I've seen few riolu in all fifteen years of my existence, but I've never seen one with eyes quite like yours."

"I—you see...uh…" I started mumbling. C'mon...there had to be an excuse I could use…

"They're filled with fear," she stated as her smile dropped. She entered my personal space, staring at me through her sunglasses. I could faintly make out her eyes that were gazing adamantly into my own. "a kind of fear that often comes from being alone... _abandoned_ …"

H-how did she—?

"...speaking of loneliness…" Riley began again. "Eyewitnesses report that you had an accomplice. An adolescent eevee girl. Just _where_ is she—?"

"L-leave her out of this!" I shouted at her. "She didn't do anything wrong!" the mere mention of Hazel hurt me again as tears stung at my eyes. I...I couldn't show weakness...not in front of this mercenary. "W-we decided to part ways earlier…"

"Hmph...more work for me I suppose…" Riley smirked at me coyly. "...like

I always say; 'what's a huntress without the hunt?' Perhaps she will make a more interesting target than you—"

The thought of this riolu hunting down Hazel immediately made me panic...I wanted her to be safe! I wouldn't let this merc hurt her!

"D-don't you dare…" I gripped my knife as hard as I could, refusing to point it away from her; which she was quick to notice. "...l-leave Hazel alone—!" I immediately shut my mouth after accidentally revealing my friend's name. W-why did I say that…?

"Hazel the eevee huh…? Cute name..." she pondered for a moment, before turning her attention to my knife. "...oh, and bluey? It's generally impolite to point your weapon at a _lady_ , y'know?"

Riley smirked even more as she came close to me, only putting an inch or two between us. We made brief, yet exceedingly prolonged and awkward eye contact; which started making me sweat. It certainly didn't help that she was slightly taller than me. Her eyes slowly looked up at my forehead, at my newest accessory.

"Nice goggles. They suit you."

"Wha-? M-my goggles?" I looked up at them too, touching them with a free paw and pulled them down over my eyes, smiling gently as I did so. "T-thank you...I think they suit me pretty well too—!"

I was immediately cut off by a swift paw grabbing the wrist of my hand that held the knife, angling the blade away from both of us, as her other paw grabbed my other arm just above the elbow. I let out a confused squeak as I felt myself get pushed back into a pillar. Ngh

—! Immediately, I began squirming in her hold, desperately trying to break free.

"L-let me—!"

"Rule number one of fighting! _Never_ let your guard down or be distracted!" Riley barked in my face loudly, causing me to physically flinch. "I didn't become a ' _mercenary extraordinaire'_ by failing these basic steps!"

Riley quickly let go of me, taking a few steps back and crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground. Sh-she let me go…? What was with this girl…? Whatever the case, if she was wanting a fight, she was getting one!

Riley adjusted her glasses with her right paw, before beckoning me with it. She wore a cocky smirk as she did so.

I gulped, gripping my knife as hard as I could. I lunged for her, thrusting my knife to stab the riolu. She suddenly sprang into action, quickly placing the side of her left paw under my wrist as the right quickly grabbed my knuckles. Before I could even react, her left paw traveled from under my wrist to her right paw; completely locking my arm within hers. With a left quick turn of her body, she snatched my blade from my paw and hopped back; successfully disarming me.

"W-wha?!"

"Heehee, rule number two!" the young riolu giggled as she threw my knife to one side by the blade. It flew and stabbed the wall, getting lodged in the marble. "... _don't_ be predictable! I saw that coming from a mile away! But...I'll give you a second chance. Fight me!"

She put one leg in front of the other, bending the outstretched one slightly. She bent her arms upwards, defending her face and chest, while also hunching over somewhat. A fighting stance. With her usual cocky smirk, she beckoned me over with her left paw, before immediately putting it back where it was.

I gulped and studied her for a moment, refusing to remove my goggles; purely because I didn't want her seeing the pure fear in my eyes.

" _Ok, Matt...you can do this...you're not outnumbered like before. One riolu versus another...this isn't entirely unfair."_

I scanned her stance, mimicking it as best I could. In all honesty, I didn't know what the stance was all about, but it looked highly defensive. Anything that'd help would be useful here.

"Oh…?" Riley tilted her head at me. "...Good stance, I like it."

"..." I held my stance, licking my lips nervously, refusing to even break my line of sight with her. Riley raised her brow, not breaking her own pose.

"...you're not _entirely_ naive, it seems…" she quickly broke her stance and started running towards me. " _...but let's see if you know how to use that stance!"_

I braced myself for impact as, within a flash, she was in point blank range and began her assault. Within an instant, her right paw was already rapidly going for my chest. I internally panicked, desperately trying to block the attack by quickly putting both arms in front of my chest. I was quick enough to block it, though the punch to my wrists was painful. I cringed in pain as I wobbled from the rather forceful attack. She started a vicious onslaught of quick, yet light blows to my arms. I tried blocking them as best I could, but she was pretty damn fast and painful.

But as she reached in for yet another punch, somehow, I miraculously caught her wrist with both of my hands. Her eyebrows raised at my speedy block. I started exerting as much crushing pressure as I could upon her arm, refusing to let go. Riley physically winced in pain, which only motivated me to grasp tighter.

"N-ngh...you're pretty damn strong, kid…" she choked, clenching her teeth. "...strong…" her trademark smirk returned, albeit looking rather pained. "...but _not the sharpest!_ "

Before I could even respond, her open left paw had made contact with my face, just above my muzzle. I immediately released her as a hellish stinging feeling enveloped my face and knocked me back, stunning me for a moment. A moment that she quickly used to her advantage by quickly performing a sweeping kick that hit my legs, knocking me completely off my feet.

"Ngh—!" I cried out as I hit the carpeted floor below with my back, shooting pain up and down my spine. I tried pushing myself up off the ground, but a weight just above my waist forced me down. It was Riley; quickly taking a seat on my stomach to keep me down, straddling me. She smirked and cracked her knuckles, flicking an aura tendril aside. I attacked her with a punch before she could do the same to me, but she quickly put both of her arms together, hiding her body and face behind her forearms. My knuckles and the grey bumps on her arms made contact. I shrieked as my hand cracked on the solid material on her arms.

She chuckled at me from behind her cover.

"Natural bone armor _,_ handy, isn't it?" her tone was cocky and arrogant. A tone that, for whatever reason stirred anger in me...

…

Natural bone armor? So that's what those bumps were for…I could use that actually…

I saw the riolu pull back her arm for a punch, likely aimed for my face. I took the initiative to block her using the same method she did to block my attacks as fast as I humanly could as I placed my arms together, but now I had my natural armor pointing towards her. I anticipated an attack, but one never came, she must've known what I was up to.

I gulped and took my chances by quickly grabbing just above her hips, taking her by surprise. Using all of my strength, I forced her off of me by pushing her to my right. She hit the ground with an audible thump and grunted in a mixture of surprise and pain before I scrambled to my feet and jumped away from her. Within a flash, she was back on her feet too.

We stared each other down, she cracked her neck as I started whispering my family's motto under my breath.

" _The Wolfe never yields, the Wolfe never yields, The Wolfe never Yields…"_

Ngh...it wasn't reassuring me any...if-if I could defeat that bisharp...I could beat her too…

I shot a quick glance over to the door that was still ajar. I thought about taking my chances and retreating...I could easily disappear into one of these buildings and wait for her to go away...that would go against my family motto...but…

"Running from your problems," the female riolu suddenly spoke up and adjusted her sunglasses, her usual smile notably missing. "won't actually fix them. You'll be caught in an endless cycle of running and hiding, living in constant fear. It is a _coward's_ way of living. Are you a coward?"

"I-I...ngh…" I cringed as I tried to think of a suitable rebuttal, my mind coming up completely empty. Was I a coward…?

"Tsk, how disappointing," Riley dropped her shoulders, wearing an exaggerated frown. "You'd think someone with your strength and quick learning skills would be a half-decent fighter…"

Was she...complimenting me…? I had the 'mercenary extraordinaire' basically saying that had potential? I-interesting…or was she just trying to soften me up with compliments again? Something about these compliments felt more...genuine…? It was strange... _she_ was strange.

I subsequently forced my attention away from the entrance of the building, focusing it entirely on Riley; who smirked in response. "Looks like you _do_ have a bit of a spine in there."

"..." I remained silent as I scanned the environment with my eyes. Thankfully, my goggles hid my eyes quite well so she couldn't see what I was up to. I quickly scoped out my knife that was still stuck in a wall behind her. I needed it. With a gulp, I began running towards her; which she braced for. But instead of engaging her as I got at point-blank range of her, I shoved her out of the way using whatever strength and momentum I could muster up. I heard her gasp quietly as she stumbled to my left. (Though she kept her balance, unfortunately.) I didn't even look to see if she was all right as I thankfully reached my trusty weapon. I pulled it out of the wall quite forcefully, almost tripping myself up as it came out. With my knife in paw, I quickly turned around to face my foe, who stood only a few meters away from me with an unamused stare.

"Hmph...I should've seen that one coming...but I'll give you that one. Now," she pulled out her own knife, its blade pointing outwards in her hand; the opposite way to how I held mine. "shall we continue our dance—?!"

All of a sudden, an ear piercing noise sounded throughout the entire building, causing us both to grab our ears in pain. The noise sounded a total of six times, each of which was even more painful than the last. The peace of silence blessed us both as we stood stunned in the middle of the room. We had even dropped both of our knives.

"..." I was silent, not to keep show weakness, but instead because that noise was so hellish to my ears.

"..." she opened her mouth to try and say something, but her own shock was overpowering her. But after almost a full minute of tense silence, she eventually spoke up. "...oh shit." her head immediately darted to the door as she picked up her blade, I mimicked her.

"W-what the heck was that?!"

"Those were the bells of this stupid cathedral!" she hissed with gritted teeth, as she took a few steps back. "But that's the _least_ of our damn worries!"

"Wha—?!"

"You better brace yourself, Blue! Because we're in for a _whole_ lot of trouble now!" Riley barked at me, before mumbling to herself. "...why did it have to be in this building…?"

" _What are you talking about?!"_ I asked, panic clear as day in my squeaky voice.

"Ferals! They just _love_ loud, attractive noises! And we're at the damn origin of the noise! Can you put the pieces together yet?!"

A sinking feeling hit me like a swift punch to the gut. I was in more danger than I was already in. I gulped and gripped my knife even harder than I already was.

"Look, if we want to make it out _without_ getting mauled, I suggest that we put our differences aside and fight as a team! Follow my lead, and get over here!"

I hesitated for a moment, repeatedly looking to her and to the door. "I...ngh…"

"I'm not going to stab you or anything!" she lowered her weapon, just to prove that she was telling the truth. I took a gamble and took a place by her side. She immediately held her hand out for whatever reason. "...Truce?"

I considered my options for but a moment before coming to the conclusion that working with her would increase the chances of survival. I shakily took her paw and shook it. "T-truce."

"Good, your head is screwed on straight it seems," we raised our weapons in anticipation. "Now brace yourself. Oh, and Bluey? You might wanna reverse-grip your blade there, that makes it easier to attack with. You're not wielding a sword, y'know?"

"O-oh, thanks..." I flipped the blade around in my paw, so it pointed downwards like hers. "W-wait, couldn't we just shut the door?"

"No point. No doubt a garbodor or something will barge it down…" Riley grumbled.

A moment of anxious waiting passed before we saw a feral tranquill peek its head through the door, scanning the room before noticing us standing here. It loudly squawked at us, ruffling its feathers and began quickly coming for us. It lifted itself off the ground with fully extended wings.

" _Quick attack! Get out of the way!"_ I could barely even register her words as she dived away from me. While my reaction was somewhat delayed, I still managed to barely avoid the quick bird's attack. Before I even hit the ground as I dived out of the way, I physically felt the tranquill whoosh by me. I caught myself with my hands and knees as I landed on the carpeted floor with a thud. Shooting a glance over my shoulder; I saw the bird pokemon slow itself down as to not fly into the back wall of the holy building. It stopped itself by landing in front of the altar, turning around and squawking again."Shit! We've got more ferals coming in! I'll cover the entrance, you handle the bird!"

"R-right!"

I anxiously gripped my weapon, pushing myself up to my feet. I shot a glance to my now ally; who seemed to be holding her own surprisingly well against a few trubbish and even a voltorb. I saw her keeping one of the living trash bags at bay with her foot as she elbowed the electric ball in the face and plunged her knife into another trubbish; which cried in agony as it was stabbed. She did this all the while a few more ferals started creeping in. Admittedly, she was pretty amazing…

But I had no more time to gawk at the riolu's combat finesse, I-I had work to do!

Instead of letting it make the first strike again, I forced myself onto the offensive by running quickly to the bird and pulling my arm back to strike it with my blade. It screeched in pain as I lightly cut its left wing, though it did be only briefly stunned by the attack; much to my dismay. It followed up by pecking my shoulder, which stung like all hell and made me drop my weapon.

"N-ngh…" I winced as I saw some of my own cyan fur stuck in its beak. It continued its pecking assault, most of which actually hit me in either the shoulders or chest. Some I was able to block some of its attacks with my boney forearm bumps.

Using somewhat quick reflexes, I narrowly grabbed the bird's mouth with both paws to keep it back. But Riley's words when I held her arm with both hands rung throughout my head.

" _Strong, but not the sharpest!"_

Using my memories of what transpired only a brief few minutes ago, I removed a paw from the tranquill's face, using it to strike the bird right above the beak with a force palm; which knocked it back significantly. It gave me a good opening to further attack, no way I'd give a chance like this up! With a swift punch to the face, I successfully knocked the bird off of its talons. While it was down, I took the initiative to force it down, sort of like Riley would by placing my foot on its neck. I grabbed my knife and held it high to go for a fatal strike.

But…

But something stopped me…

I stared into the eyes of a hurt, confused wild animal whose life was surely about to end. It struggled under my weight, obviously trying to escape. I couldn't bring myself to kill it...it probably had a few fledglings back at its nest that'd likely perish without their parent. I lowered my knife and simply punched it between the eyes, knocking it unconscious. Just to be sure, I held my hand on its chest, nodding in relief as it's heart still beat. For as long as I was in this world, I vowed not to take a single life…

Nodding to myself with my new rule, I ran over to Riley, who was still outlasting her opponents quite fiercely. Around her feet were remains of the trubbish she eviscerated, along with the voltorb which was either unconscious or just straight-up dead. She fought off another trubbish two as a pidove was flying around her, trying to peck her. Gulping, I ran over to assist her. I quickly kicked one of the trash pokemon away from her as I got close. (even if I almost tripped myself doing it.)

We exchanged looks for less than a second, before nodding to each other.

She cracked her knuckles and engaged the trubbish I had kicked away by sprinting over to it, punching the pidove out of the air in the process. Yikes…I was glad we were on the same side now…

I was light on my feet as I turned to the single living trash bag. I tried to crack my knuckles like Riley, but all I did was hurt my hands as they cracked... _ow..._ I guess it'd take a lot of practice to be half as good as her…WIth a newfound aching in my paws, I made the first move by lunging forward quickly at it, swiftly kicking it in the mouth; which knocked it back across the carpeted floor. I felt a twinge of triumph within me because of my little victory! Ha! T-take that you living piece of garbage-

In my self-congratulatory state...I failed to avoid the sludge bomb that hit me directly on the leg; knocking me over. Where the ball of filth hit me, I felt a horrible stinging sensation that was paired with stickiness...it was awful...it felt like my whole leg was being weighed down by the filth as I tried to stand up. It started to ache too...ugh...this was bad…

The trubbish slowly inched its way closer and closer to me, groaning as it appeared to be readying another sludge bomb just for me. With a gulp, I rolled out of the way of the gunky attack it shot at me, wincing as it almost got me. I hissed in pain as my leg stung from the previous attack. I lunged over to the trubbish, punching it between the eyes. My hand punctured the bag, dirty trash practically exploded out of the trubbish, coating my arm in trash and goop. _Ew ew ew!_ I gagged, before freezing up entirely...I-I probably killed it...I broke my own rule...tears stung at my eyes as I withdrew from it and started trembling.

What have I-?

But suddenly, it groaned…? Seemingly unphased by the injury, it tried approaching me, but a swift thrown knife from behind struck it, stunning it. It shrieked in pain as Riley attacked from behind, picking her knife up and plunging it into the top of it. I-if I didn't kill it..she definitely did. The overly feminine riolu through the sentient bag of trash aside, clapping her hands off. She too was covered in gunk and dirt, and by the look of it, she wasn't that happy about it.

"You wouldn't _happen_ to know flamethrower, would you, Bluey?" she asked, her usual smirk slightly appearing on her lips.

"N-not that I know of...sorry…w-why?"

She turned her attention to a pile of unconscious trubbish. "...Reasons."

Was fire the only way to truly destroy a trubbish?

W-well...I was sure-fire that nothing was immune to fire…

"Not bad, not bad...you gotta work on your footwork, though, _Blue_. You've got two left feet! Or paws, whatever you wanna call them." She grinned at me, her paws placed firmly on her hips. Her gaze shifted from me to our handiwork. Letting out a coo of satisfaction, my female counterpart stretched her body, loosening up her tight muscles. She...she was pretty cool...I just hoped I could have the confidence and skill that she had… "Talk about heresy, though...the human God isn't gonna be very happy we trashed his building, ha!"

"P-probably not a clever idea to insult an all-powerful being in his holiest building…" I mumbled with a frown.

"Hmph, you should also learn what a sense of humor is too, _Blue_." Riley playfully scoffed and punched my shoulder...somewhat painfully...ow...note to self, don't be as rough as her…

"I-I have a sense of humor!" I barked in response, crossing my arms and tapping my foot.

"Shoot."

"S-shoot…?"

"Ugh…" She sighed. "give me your best joke!"

Flinching, I hastily responded.

"W-what did the congested rock type say when border patrol stopped him?" I smiled in anticipation" "I can't pass, because I have—"

" _nose-pass."_ The female riolu quickly interrupted. "I've heard that one a _million_ times before! you need better material, _Blue_."

"B-but I ma—"

" _ **Garrrrr…"**_

A loud groan cut our little comedy routine short. We both quickly looked at the door once again, starting to back away from it. Before we could even comprehend what happened, the doors were knocked off their hinges entirely by a garbodor... _an unnaturally large one at that._

"Oh, my stars!" both Riley and I muttered in unison, staring the colossal pile of garbage down. We exchanged a worried glance for a moment, before nodding.

" _You take his left, Blue!"_ The female riolu hissed, taking charge and sprinting for it. " _I'll take his right!"_

 _Oh no..._ the Wolfe Never Yields, Matt...the Wolfe N-never Yields...ngh…

Swallowing deeply, I ran towards it too, holding my knife so tightly it physically hurt. Hopefully, the human God smiled at me to give me strength here...I was one of his subjects!

Almost the second I got close, the living garbage dump's tendril-like left arm tried to swat me away but I was quick enough to slide under it just in time. Jumping up to my feet, I lunged to its side and stabbed it...which was _so_ effective that it didn't even flinch... I was gonna have to be creative with this...How would I-?!

In my moment of pondering, its horrible arm thing wrapped around my leg and hoisted me up, holding me upside down. Oh God! I struggled in its grasp as it brought me closer to its abominable face. _Was it trying to eat me?!_ My attempts to struggle were fruitless...it was too strong…

"R-Riley!" I called out in panic. "Help!"

Without responding, the riolu threw her blade into the garbodor's arm. It got stuck in front of me. I quickly grabbed my ally's weapon and desperately cut the part of the arm that held me up. I fell, bracing myself for a painful landing, only to feel that I was caught by Riley! She held me in a bridal hold...we awkwardly stared at one another for a brief moment.

"Th-thank you, Riley…"

"Don't get too mushy with me now, _Bluey!_ " She swiftly dodged a giant sludge bomb that was shot at us. I quickly wrapped my hands around her neck and clung to her in panic. "Has anyone told you that you're a bit girly?!"

"N-now's not the time for that! Do you have a plan?! It's just shrugging our attacks off!" I hissed as Riley carefully put me down.

"I've got this handled!" she barked. You just need to distract it for me to get a—!"

The beast brought its right hand down with a terrifying roar. Riley swiftly dived out of the way while I narrowly stumbled out of the way, falling down onto my butt. I pushed myself back with my feet and took shelter behind one of the benches of the aisle and began scoping out my surroundings for any environmental advantage…

" _what're you doing, Bluey?! I need some backup here!"_ Riley called out as she gracefully danced and weaved past the garbodor's attacks. Ngh...hopefully she could hold out for a little longer…

The voltorb she knocked out before…that could be a handy makeshift explosive… I then noticed the several trubbish that Riley had previously eviscerated slowly putting themselves back together in a rather disturbing manner. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding to myself. I hoped to whatever god that this would work.

"R-Riley!" I called out and jumped to my feet. I saw her turn her head to me in acknowledgment as she was on the flailing garbodor, continuously stabbing its face...to no avail. "I have a plan! J-just keep it in place and distracted!"

"This better work, Bluey! I'm getting a bit worn out here—" she suddenly gasped as she was punched by off the sentient pile of trash, flying onto a nearby balcony with a thud. Ouch… "...I'm ok!"

Thank goodness. Swallowing my fear, I sprinted over to the barely conscious voltorb that was lying in the middle of the remains of several trubbish by a pillar and picked it up over my head. Ngh... _this thing weighed a ton!_

" _Volllt…"_ it groaned in pain.

Almost tripping due to a stray sludge bomb from Riley and the garbodor's battle, I made it to an out of the way set of stairs and began running up them as fast as I possibly could, reaching the balcony I first saw Riley on. I peeked out of the large rhombus shaped window that overlooked the cathedral district of the city...thankfully, it was all clear of feral Pokemon. Thank goodness…

I walked over to the handrails and peered over. Riley had kept the beast in its place under this balcony! Awesome! A-alright...here goes nothing…

I quickly and forcefully karate chopped the top of the voltorb, my hand cracking from the contact painfully... I hissed in pain as the orb Pokemon began ticking and glowing... _it was also becoming really darn hot!_ Without hesitation, I dropped it over the rails and directly onto the garbodor's head...it made quite the crater where it landed…

" _Riley! Hit the deck!"_ I barked as I ran to the corner of the balcony nearest the wall, crouching down and shoving my fingers in my ears; bracing myself for an explosion.

The building shook violently as the voltorb detonated inside the garbodor, resulting in an ear-piercing bang... I felt lucky that I wasn't immediately deafened by that! The stench of burned trash flooded my nostrils instantly. Shakily standing up, I looked off the balcony at the result of my little plan. Trash was _everywhere,_ a voltorb lay knocked out in the center of a scorched piece of floor and smoke was everywhere...I did it…

But a worried lump formed in my throat as I couldn't find—

"Nice thinking, _Bluey."_ Riley's sharp voice complimented from behind. I turned around and saw her walking up the stairs I used, a big smirk on her face. Oh, thank goodness…

"Riley!" I happily called out, quickly taking her into a hug. "I'm glad you're alright!"

"I-I uh…" She muttered, lightly patting my back with one paw awkwardly. "Ahem…"

"O-oh...sorry…" I broke the hug and took a step back from the riolu, staring at my feet.

"You dropped these, by the way." She handed my knife and backpack to me.

"T-thank you...uh...now what…?"

She looked at the heavily damaged cathedral and sighed, turning around and started to walk.

"Let's get outta here...I need some fresh air from all the smoke you made with your little bombing…"

"Ditto…"

* * *

Riley and I dragged ourselves out of the Grand Cathedral of Vigrade and onto the bridge that lead to it, exhausted and slightly injured. But very much alive. Even if our usually fluffy fur had become several shades darker, thanks to the dirt that was ingrained into it. I could physically _feel_ the dirt, and it made me wanna puke…Sometimes I wish I didn't have this darn fur...

The sun had just begun to set in the sky above, giving it a beautiful orange hue. the light when reflected off of all the great modern towers of yesteryear. Though gorgeous, the weather started to cool significantly. I should really find shelter, soon…

"So, " the female riolu started, shooting a side glance to me, a smirk on her muzzle and with a hand on her hip. "I'm reasonably impressed with how well you danced with me in there. You were pretty sloppy, but you show some good potential...and it usually takes a _lot_ to Impress me."

"D-dancing…?" I tilted my head, my aura tendrils dangling to the side. Before I could say anything else, Riley's arm quickly wrapped around my shoulder and forcefully pushed me into her side; which made me jump out of my fur somewhat. G-great…if one set of dirty fur wasn't bad enough... I now had another set touching me…

"fighting, dummy." she enthusiastically patted my shoulder. Her grip around me was forceful, but oddly...welcoming? "you've got some serious potential, buddy. At least, I think you do."

"I-I...thank you, Riley…" I stuttered, confident she wasn't using her compliments as she usually would. I trusted the way she held me this time. Hold on a second...wasn't she here to apprehend me…?! I thought about struggling, but I supposed I was already in her grasp. I licked my lips and lightly asked; "w-what now…? Weren't you trying to arrest me or something…?"

Her full attention landed on me as she fully turned her head at me. I could see my own reflection in her sunglasses.

"I would've, " she bluntly stated with her trademark smirk plastered on her face, patting my shoulder again, a strange comfort washing over me. For whatever reason, I felt a kind of safety around my new…'ally.' She _did_ take out that giant pile of living trash mostly by herself, I suppose. "but... I like the way you dance, boy. And for that, I'll let you off the hook this time around. So enjoy your freedom…"

"Y-you're just letting me go…?"

"On _one_ condition. Continue to prove yourself to me, and I won't bring you to the police, capiche?"

"..." I gulped, hesitating to even ask her what was on my mind. "...w-what is it you want with me…?"

"a good fight. Nothing more," she explained while adjusting her sunglasses and brushing the dirt out of her fur. "being the best of the best gets a bit boring after a while, no good fights...you get me?"

I simply nodded in response. Out of all of the characters I've met in this new world, were they all as eccentric as Riley or Hazel…?

 _Hazel…_

The mere thought of that eevee stung me deep to my core again.

"But anyway." Riley sighed and stretched. "those... _ferals…_ messed up my fur coat...can't take you in looking like a mess now, can we?"

"Uh…"

"rhetorical question…" her smile dropped as she continued to stare at me, a light sigh escaping her lips. She adjusted her shaded and nodded to herself. "I suppose you deserve a little reward for helping me out back there…"

Before I could even react, both if her paws quickly grabbed my cheeks and pushed my head down, so I was looking down at the ground and her feet. What was she…? Riley stood on the very tips of her toes before I felt my goggles get pushed aside and a quick, slightly wet sensation met my forehead. _Wha…?!_ It took but a moment to realize what she did.

She kissed my forehead…

I quickly looked up to her for an explanation as my face started to burn. I saw her wiping her lips with a paw.

"Don't overthink it," she simply stated with a neutral expression as she started to turn on her heel, likely to leave. "now, if you'll excuse me, Bluey, I've got places to be, fur to wash, Y'know? Ciao for now. " she shot a glance back at me, a cocky smirk on her face. " _Matthew."_

She knew my…?

I was stunned in a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment. It took a minute to even register what she even said, and when I did, she was already gone…where did she…?

"R-Riley! Wait!" my voice echoed throughout the Cathedral District. "H-how do you know my...name…?"

Again, I was all alone...

The wind blew gently over me as I stood in the now silent city, giving me a moment to comprehend what just happened in that building. We won, I guess... I started walking away from the holy place, deciding to continue my original plan. I needed to get home. I shouldn't have even investigated that darn cathedral..though if I didn't... I likely wouldn't have made an unlikely ally out of her. Who was she? Why was she so interested in a good fight…? I suppose that I should've asked her more...perhaps next time we meet, I could inquire more.

I shook my head and pulled my map out of my bag, looking for the district where I lived in relation to where I was. With a somewhat determined nod, I set off for the residential district…

* * *

Lunar Street, tower...4! Aha! Here we are!

I stood at the base of a decently large tower; which stood near a large park with a lake in the center. The streets around were as desolate as they usually were and with the now twilight lighting hanging above the city, things were getting quite unnerving. Not to even mention the harsh and cold wind. Hopefully, this building could provide decent cover. I took a glance around at the city, before reaching up on my tippy toes to pull down on the door handle. Being the height of a human seven-year-old was going to take a _lot_ of adjusting to…

The old door creaked open slowly, revealing the reception area of the building. The floor was made out of rather expensive white tiles that were very cold to the soft pads on the bottom of my feet, brr…the wallpaper was a simple white too, with the blue outlines if plants running up it. This certainly wasn't my style…at least this place still had working lights, somehow. I walked up to the main desk, trying my best to ignore the cold floor beneath me. I didn't know why I walked up to it, I doubted that anyone was even in this building anymore...was it instinct maybe? Again, I had to make myself as tall as I could to simply see onto the desk. It was cluttered with old papers and was unbelievably dusty. Ugh…but my eyes immediately spotted something on the desk.

 _Ding_

I couldn't resist...that bell was _asking_ to be ringed.

I checked the to the left of the main desk, seeing that there were two elevators. Sweet.

Upon further investigation, (and pressing the darn button several times.) the elevator refused to come down. Typical. I'd open the elevator doors to see where exactly the lift was, but I wasn't willing to accidentally kill myself in the process. That and my arms hurt enough from the whole fiasco in the cathedral...best not to strain them even more. Guess I was taking the stairs...

Next to the elevators was a door marked 'stairs.' I internally thanked that I only lived on the third floor, else this climb would be _very_ unbearable for my poor, aching legs. The stairway was a lot less ornate or decorated than the reception. It wasn't that surprising…the dust in here stung at my poor nose...whatever the case, I had to press on. A knot formed in my stomach as I climbed the steps upward. I highly doubted that I would meet my family here, but it was worth a try, I could have even found some clues as to where they were!

I eventually reached the floor I needed to be at, number 3. The hallway was decorated with the same lavish tiles and wallpaper as the reception, but it also had a few dusty pictures of generic landscapes and such. My stomach felt funny as I peered out of the window to the empty streets below. Ngh...guess I didn't like heights either…

"Room five...room six…" I muttered to myself as I passed the doors of this surprisingly long hallway, before stopping at one last door. I gulped, shakily grabbing the doorknob and turning. Thankfully it was unlocked...or wait...the lock was completely broken... "Room number seven…"

I swallowed and braced myself, pushing the door open…my old home…

The door lead into a large, box-shaped living room area that was well furnished with expensive looking couches and tables. Heck, even one of the walls was just a large window. This place was utterly luxurious! Luxurious...but empty. I slowly stepped across the wooden floor to the center of the room, a feeling of familiarity washing over me. I was attracted to the largest couch in the room, it was navy blue and highly comfortable to the touch. Directly in front of it was the massive wall-mounted television. The sheer size of it alone was rather intimidating. Surprisingly, it came on when I pressed the button, however, only static appeared on this screen. Interesting...perhaps a DVD player could work. I pondered for a moment, before shaking my head...focus, Matthew…

My eyes landed on a nearby fireplace, more specifically, a large portrait above it. Standing in the middle of it and taking up the most space, was my dad. He looked the same as he did in one of my strange flashbacks, however, was missing his sunglasses and he was wearing a decorated military uniform that was all white. He wore a determined grin on his pale face and stood with his hands on his hips, looking very large and in charge. To his right, was my older brother, Jeb. He stood with his hands behind his back and with the same grin and uniform as Dad. He was just Dad but looking about twenty years younger.

But then I spotted three people I had not seen before, and they immediately caught my attention. Standing to the left of my dad was a woman, coming up only to the bottom of his neck. Her skin was slightly darker than the two men, and her hair was a dark blonde and worn in a ponytail, which clashed against the lab coat she wore. Her expression, however...her face was lacking much emotion whatsoever, minus the very subtle smile on her face. If I had to guess...I'd say this was my mother, judging by her age. Even despite her cold exterior, she was still rather beautiful in her own way. She had her left hand on the shoulder of my fourth family member; who was sitting on a short stool. A teenage girl who resembled my mom in terms of facial features and minimal expression, though she was pale and had long, jet black hair and was wearing a white summer dress of sorts.

Last but not least, sitting to the bottom right of my dad was another...girl? Strange...why wasn't I in this picture—wait a second... I peered closer at this last person. Though they had shoulder length golden hair and a rounded and quite a cute face, they definitely were a boy upon closer inspection. He wore a simple, but smart white shirt with dark blue dress trousers and smiled somewhat nervously while clutching our pet riolu, Lady, on his lap. His body language looked uncomfortable as anything…

That blonde, somewhat feminine looking boy...was me.

I peered at this picture of myself for what felt like an eternity. I didn't look anything like my dad or brother, I resembled my sister and mother a _lot_ more. A lump formed in my throat. That was _me._ Happy tears stung at my eyes as I studied the picture. I knew what I looked like! I knew what I looked like…a flicker of hope shined in me. I also knew what my family looked like. Well, my immediate family at least.

All right, I now knew what they looked like. I should investigate my house further, for clues. Where to start…? I had noticed that this room was _very_ tall, it turned out that one of the living room walls was actually the bottom of a raised platform, I could even make out some safety rails on top! I must've lived quite the life if _this_ was my home…

I scoped out some stairs in the living room, walking over to climb up them, my hands securely placed on the handrail. Paintings and framed photographs hung on the walls on both sides of the stairway, most of which were either landscapes or pictures of my family and I. We looked so happy in these pictures...Though, every picture of myself I saw portrayed me as looking a bit nervous or shy. Ugh...cameras...out of all the feelings that are coming back to me, of course, it had to be a negative feeling surrounding cameras...well, as long as my memories were coming back piece by piece…

At the top of the stairs was a landing that lead in two directions, to my immediate left was an open door that lead to a hallway, while to my right was the top of the raised platform before. Before I could even choose where to go, I caught a whiff of some sort of smell...that smell...it was oddly...familiar. It was a _very_ potent and herbal smell, reeking of trees with a hint of...lemon? But it was a rather delicious smell, though it was a tad overwhelming. I sniffed around, determining that it was coming from the right. I decided to follow this strong scent. Atop the indoor balcony was a dining area with one big table in the middle and with five chairs around it. Two on each side and one on the end. To my 'surprise', I was too short to properly see what was on top of the darn table.

I was about to pull a chair out, but I saw something out of the corner of my eye; a large plant pot with a sizable bushel in it. That must've been the source of the smell! I rushed over to the plant, taking a few good sniffs of it. The scent hit me like a thousand tonnes of well-perfumed bricks...this was _definitely_ the source of that delicious smell! The plant itself was rather tall, consisting of several branches with thin, upward pointing green leaves. Atop the branches were little purple flowers that were just starting to bud.

This plant was so pretty! What kind was it? I just had to know! I looked around the plant and the pot for any clues as to what it was. My investigation was short-lived, however, as I had found an empty packet of seeds on the floor next to the plant pot. Bingo. I picked it up and started reading.

'Rosemary.'

Rosemary? Huh, so that's what it— _Ngh!_

My vision flashed blue again, my aura tendrils starting to hover. Another vision…I dropped the packet of seeds and fell to my knees, closing my eyes and preparing for a flashback to appear. I smiled to myself, knowing that this vision was likely going to be a pleasant one.

* * *

…

Vision was slowly returning, the blue haze slowly clearing. I heard the rustling of a packet and a light voice complaining about something. I focused as hard as I could on it.

" _C-c'mon...open…"_ the voice muttered, struggling to open something. Almost immediately, I figured that this was my own voice. M-mainly by the stutter…

When I could actually see, I saw that I was looking down at the packet of Rosemary seeds, my long golden hair hanging down too. I appeared to be sitting on my knees in the same place I was before having this vision. Convenient…from what I could tell, I was wearing simple blue shorts and a white t-shirt. My skin appeared to be smooth, and almost completely hairless. Hairless or my hair was so blonde and my skin was so pale that it was almost impossible to see.

My past self sighed, dropping the packet on my lap in defeat. I looked up at the same plant pot, before turning around to the table.

" _S-sis…?"_ I nervously asked. Sitting on the closest chair to me, was my ebony haired sister, wearing the same basic shorts and T-shirt as me, casually reclining with her feet up on the table. In one hand, she held an expensive looking phone, scrolling through it with her thumb. Her other hand was gently stroking our pet riolu. The blue canine was all snuggled up on my sister's lap, her crimson eyes barely open. " _C-could you help me open this?"_

" _..."_ My sister looked at me from the corner of her eye, her expression was rather cold. Without a word, she turned her phone off and placed it on the table before picking our pet up and standing. She took a few steps to me and held the riolu out to me. "... _sure...hold Lady for me…"_

I took the small blue dog in my hands, holding her up by the hindquarters and back. Almost immediately, the riolu hugged me and rested her head on my shoulder, letting out a light coo of comfort...aww...I could distantly feel her fur brushing against my skin. I felt so warm...

" _..."_ my sister stared at me, a gentle smile on her calm face as she picked up the packet of seeds and opened it with relative ease." _...she's such a suck-up…"_

I held the (I was assuming) tired riolu puppy with one hand as my black haired sister placed a single seed in my free hand. I observed the small brown seed in my palm before digging a small hole with one finger and placing the tiny plant inside and buried it, refilling the hole with dirt. To my side was a glass of water that I immediately poured into the dirt...gardening? I-It was slowly coming back to me. A fondness of flowers...that's right! I can remember how much I loved maintaining this plant!

I cooed in satisfaction and wiped the dirt off my fingers, standing up fully and placing my free hand back on Lady's back. My sister and I stood at about the same height...which didn't appear to even be that tall...was I just doomed to an eternity of shortness, regardless of being a human or pokemon…?

" _...If the teachers ask, "_ she began, " _tell them I actually picked out and researched the flowers or something...I don't wanna lose any more marks in this stupid horticulture class than I already have..."_ the once subtle smile had since disappeared from her face, replaced by her usual expressionless...expression. I wish I could remember her name…what was it again…?

" _h-heh...can do, Lucy…"_

Well, that just answered my question. So her name was Lucy? So my dad was James, my brother was Jeb, and now I remembered my sister's name...thank goodness...I'd have my memory back in no time at all! What was my mother's name, though? I had utterly no clue as to her identity...

" _Matthew! Lucy!"_ a third, almost electrical voice rang out, causing both my sister and myself to look off of the indoor balcony. It sounded like dad's voice, but...very strange and muffled. Standing in the living room was a very large man wearing a very militaristic police uniform with his hands on his hips, he wore a white shirt under his grey body armor and with pitch black trousers, boots, and gloves. But most frighteningly, he wore a dark grey gas mask with glowing blue eyes and had some kind of baton along his belt...and a pistol holster on his hip. Along his chest it read in golden letters; 'Holy Police Captain.' W-was that my dad in that uniform?! His voice was terrifying... " _Stop slacking off, you two! If you keep screwing around with your little flowers, you're gonna miss the holy teachings at the cathedral, and I doubt you have any good excuses for missing those! So put that damn dog down, and get ready! Go!"_

" _Y-yes, sir…"_ I mumbled, staring down at my bare feet that pointed inward, my toes practically touching. Even as a human, I looked nervous as anything...

" _...Yes, sir…"_ Lucy quietly obliged, turning on her heels and going down the hallway by the stairs. I quickly followed her as she entered the first door on the left. Inside was what must've our room; I could tell by the two beds that had various different items on the shelves and bedside table. In a corner was a small table with two seats on either side and an unfinished game of chess on top of it. Looked like black was winning. Lucy shut the door behind us and sighed. " _...asshole…"_

" _Shh! H-he could hear you, you know!"_ I hissed and placed the riolu down on my bed, petting her gently. She let out a sad whine and stared at me with big red eyes. " _S-sorry girl...we won't be too long...hopefully…"_

I sat down next to Lady, slipping a simple pair of sandals on; my sister mimicking me on her bed. I noticed that on my shelves and table were books and papers, most of which were about history and other similar subjects, while Lucy had electronics and fashion objects on hers. My black-haired sister stood up first and left the room, leaving me to comfort the riolu before I left.

Wait...no...already?! The blue haze started filling my vision once again...just when I was getting comfortable, too…

Before the aura faded completely, I heard myself speak once more in a sad voice.

" _I-I hope mom will be there…"_

Mom…

* * *

When vision returned, I woke up, still kneeling by the rosemary plant. Was I still a…? I quickly looked at my body, seeing the all too familiar dark grey and blue fur coat I had. Yep...Still a riolu...darn it. I still had the empty packet of seeds in my paw. I stood up and discarded the little packet, noticing how dim everything had gotten. It was definitely nighttime now. I looked out the huge window, at the old city and the clear skies above. The way some of the skyscraper's lights were still on was oddly...comforting. This feeling...not much fear or anxiety...I was home. I _would_ find my family. Even if would take years of searching...T-the Wolfe never yields…

I let out a long yawn, my eyes growing heavy. All of today's excitement must've tuckered me out...with a light smile on my muzzle, I proceeded to my old room. Inside, nothing had changed. Even my bed had the same blue bed sheets like in the flashback, a corner already folded inwards, practically inviting me to sleep. I stripped down to nothing, placing my goggles in my rucksack and placing it up against the foot of my bed. I

Climbed into the bed... _oh my gosh...so comfy~_

So familiarly warm, too. I wrapped myself up all cozy in the large bed. I may have been utterly alone...but at least I felt comfortable for a change... I let out a quiet sigh, curling up into a right ball

Tomorrow was another day. I was sure to investigate further in the morning...

* * *

 **Sir Gardevoir**

Ugh...how long did these bloody magnets stay up for?! It was past midnight and they showed _very_ little sign of weariness. Ahaha~ I suppose if you're a floating magnet ball... _thing..._ sleep wasn't very necessary...this was not bloody fair! I wanted to lurk around this place for information! Ahaha~

I lay down in this precinct safehouse's rather comfortable bed, waiting for the perfect moment to... _slink~_ I scanned around the dark room and its bland decor...somebody ought to hire an interior designer for this miserable place. I mean seriously? Two beds, a table, a bookshelf, and a couch. What a trite room. On the basis of this room's hideousness, I was going to have to leave and investigate. I elegantly climbed out of the bed and slowly made my way to the door to the safehouse, approaching the magnamite officer guarding the entrance. The metal sphere gave me a funny look as I got close.

"evening ma'am—"

"Aren't you tired, Mr. Policeman?" I asked, innocently tilting my head at him.

"Well, not really no—"

"Well, congratulations, you're tired now." I grabbed his face…? Uh...his front and unleashed a hypnosis attack. He didn't even make a noise as he fell asleep instantaneously. Before he could drop to the floor and make a big thud, I caught the officer...bloody 'ell...he weighs a ton! I struggled to even walk with him in hand, but I managed it eventually, putting him down on the couch and clapping my hands in success. Excellent! Time to... _investigate, ahaha~_

I closed the door behind me as gently as I possibly could, opening up into the dark wooden hallways of Felicity Creek's police precinct. With light steps, I walked to the first open door, eavesdropping on whatever conversations I could listen to.

" _...are we still holding this yungoos in custody? I mean, all he did was jeer at an eevee and get into a light altercation with a riolu…"_

" _That's not the full story, Mark. This punk here has a long history of jeering at girls and getting into altercations."_

" _Hardly a criminal offense—"_

" _And he sells X eye seeds in the black market for people to tweak out on."_

" _Oh. Well...I think we should make the cell key…'disappear, ' hehe…"_

" _haha...we should."_

Hmm...this wasn't a very interesting conversation. Moving on!

I proceeded down the hallway, looking into whatever poorly lit rooms I could. Most of them had detectives and officers silently doing paperwork and looking at evidence... _yawwwn…_ looked like the police of the East were just as boring as the Western police. Ugh…

I wonder how detective Booker was getting on? He _was_ the lead detective of this case, so he'd definitely have the juiciest evidence and information in his office! All for me~

Just uh...where was his office again…? This place was too big!

…

After a short while of searching this large building, I eventually reached a familiar office. The door window read 'Detective Booker Scofield, ' so I definitely was in the right place! I saw the silhouette of three pokemon inside. One was obviously a magnamite, stood at the foot of the desk was a small canine, probably the growlithe I saw him within the museum. And the last was a strange floating disk of some kind, with clawed arms dangling at the bottom of its body. They were all discussing something, something that wasn't gonna be very private for long...ha. I opened the door ever so slightly with telekinesis to listen in.

" _...and I said to him, he wasn't gonna do any time;"_ an eager voice chirped from behind the door. " _he was just gonna do hard time! And then I slapped the cuffs on 'em!"_

Ugh...that was terrible. From the way his comrades groaned, I think they agreed with me, ahaha~

" _For God's sake Jim, that was the worst one yet!"_

" _Yo! I don't say this a lot, but I agree with Booker here!"_ I heard the growlithe sigh deeply. " _Yo...are we done here? Because my girl ain't gonna be happy her bed is so often cold. And when she's upset...fuggedaboutit."_

" _Almost, Conroy, Almost;"_ Booker responded, his voice sounding notably weary. The sounds of rustling paper caught my attention. " _We've gotten reports from our border officers that one of the five suspects in the museum mess has been apprehended and arrested—"_

" _That's good news!"_ The jolliest of the three cheered...at least someone in this building knew what fun was, aha~

" _...by Minuetmon scouts just outside of the border."_ The detective sighed deeply.

" _That's bad news…" 'Jim' gulped nervously. "C-couldn't we just go to the Minutemon and ask them for the fugitive and/or arrest them for unlawful arrests?"_

" _Yo, you try arresting a highly organized militia..fuggedaboutit. I ain't gonna be the one to put you back together."_

" _Even if we could, they're outside of our borders; and by extension, our jurisdiction. And I doubt the west even cares enough about what's happening over here to arrest the fugitive for us…In brief, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place here. How that one escaped so quick is beyond me...all we can do is hope that the other four didn't somehow escape. Hopefully, that merc I hired is doing her damn job…All right Conroy, Jim. You can go home now."_

Uh oh...I immediately hid behind a tall and conveniently placed potted plant, peering through the leaves at the office door as it opened. First to leave was the growlithe, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. He didn't even bother saying 'goodbye' to his friends...how uncouth! He just walked down the hall to the exit, going through a catflap that was built into the door. Aww…

Next to leave was a metang, his spirit and enthusiasm beaming in his red eyes, the lateness of tonight not seeming to even phase him that much.

"Goodnight, Booker!" the metang hummed, waving at the magnemite. "See you in the morning!"

"yeah yeah...whatever…" the magnetic ball sighed as he closed the door behind him, locking it and following his comrades out of the station.

Excellent! The coast was clear! Time to do what I do best! I cracked my knuckles and slunk to the locked door. Tsk tsk tsk...silly Booker, using such a primitive and easy-to-lockpick lock! No lock can withstand my brilliance!

With a click of my fingers and a flick of my wrist, I telekinetically unlocked the door, the lock making virtually making no noise. Finesse was always a handy tool~ I quickly entered the office and locked the door behind me. The room was dark and silent, the only ambiance provided being the gentle ticking of a clock. How...relaxing. But anyway, I wonder what juicy little secrets our magnetic friend has up his metaphorical sleeves…?

I crept over to his worn wooden desk, pulling out the chair he provided me last time we were in here and sitting on it. I cracked my knuckles and started examining files with little hesitation. I didn't particularly care about what most of them said, but like I always say; _no secret is too secret for me, ahaha~_

Ah...sifting through case papers in an old dusty office reminded me of my good old days working with the law... _until that bitch ruined everything..._ I don't see why Starmie still keeps her and her lowborn filth of a husband in captivity...it would do the world good favor or two...ugh...stay vigilant, Gabriel...I have important matters to attend to.

Lessee here...local murder cases...bank robberies...aha! The Museum Incident. This should be most fascinating~

" _Large scale brawl leaves Felicity Creek Museum in shambles; suspected terrorism,"_ Failed assassination, more like… " _eyewitness account testifies that a riolu was the sole instigator of the incident, though four more suspects were in the scene. Investigations ongoing..."_ Yada yada ya.

Ahaha~ good stuff. Though...I suppose a few... 'minor' alterations wouldn't hurt _too_ much I suppose~ I teleported a pen in from my little pocket dimension and began to 'improve' the articles. A few little tweaks here and there...a little-falsified testimony aaand-

Hold on.

A sketch of one of the suspects...that little eevee with the riolu/lucario fetish...I picked up the picture to look at her. She looked...oddly familiar...have I seen her before? Her soft face, her glasses...the book poking out of her bag...no... _it couldn't possibly…_

Lord Starmie wouldn't like this information…

 _This was the lost daughter of Martyn and Lana Fox…_

 **End of Chapter...**


	9. Chapter 9: The Minutemon

(AN) Ok, instead of making the retcons now, I'm gonna do them when we get past the 10 chapter mark, so, just another heads up.

Let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9: The Minutemon**_

 **Matt**

"N-no, sis…" I weakly mumbled into my pillow. "Five more minutes…"

…

"Sis?" I lifted my head and scanned around the bedroom, seeing that it was as empty as yesterday...strange...must've been an old habit…

I sat up and stretched, letting out a long, drawn out sigh as I did so. I scratched my side and blinked repeatedly a few times. Once I was properly awake, I jumped out of my now dirty bed, enjoying the feeling of the fuzzy carpet between my six toes. Early morning sunlight shone through the window in the middle of my and my sister's beds. I think this would be a great time to continue my investigation!

I turned to my bedside table and began searching around. A blue book lying on top of it immediately caught my attention.

' _Military Strategies of our Past_.'

Interesting subject... I wouldn't have guessed that I was into this kind of stuff... I picked up the book and skimmed throughout the first page to see if it rang any bells.

" _Throughout our fine nation's history, we have been outnumbered and surrounded by our worst enemies: the Pokemon."_ Oh...oh dear… " _To compensate for our lack of numbers, we were forced to develop military strategies to keep them off our doorstep. This book will go over the strategic plans and brilliant maneuvers we have made throughout our thousand-year history."_

Alright. I was keeping the book. Sounded like it could be a good read! My past self probably thought so too! I closed the book and put it into my bag, next to the riolu book. At least I wasn't going to go bored over the next few days…

I moved back to the nightstand, noticing a framed picture that must've fallen down at some point. Picking it up, my heart sunk somewhat. It was a picture of my mother, my sister and I all standing in what appeared to be the courtyard of a grand castle. Lucy and I looked so happy to be there! Mom was...well, mostly expressionless as usual. Under the photo was a subtitle that read:

'Matt and Lucy's 14th birthday!'

I smiled somberly and hugged the picture frame...I was definitely taking this with me...Scanning the room further for other clues or mementos, I came across my closet, whose door was slightly opened. Opening it further, I peeked inside at what kind of things I stored in here. I had many pairs of shirts, shorts, and sandals all neatly organized in there. All coming in the standard colors of white and blue. I looked at the picture and saw myself wearing the same clothes that were in here...must've been my definitive 'Matt look...' hehe…

On a shelf above my clothes were other trinkets that were all neatly organized in a similar manner to the clothes. Pity I couldn't reach it...maybe if I…

I grabbed the chair by the nearby chess table and used it to get a height boost. Atop the shelf was a few old books and outdated video game systems, as well as the occasional board game. One of the books was titled 'chess for beginners.' I must've been a chess kinda guy. But then something caught my attention.

Sitting on top of an old game system was a plush toy; a zigzagoon to be specific. My tail started wagging like crazy as I reached up and grabbed it. It was light and very soft to the touch, and it was only about half the size of a real zigzagoon...but it was still _adorable_ regardless! I held the stuffed pokemon in my arms for a moment, its name hanging on the tip of my tongue. Liking my lips and staring into its red eyes, I silently whispered:

" _Ruby…"_

I hugged the stuffed animal tightly and sat down, an extremely familiar sense of protection coursing through me! This was nice…I was having distant feelings of my mother giving this to me when I was younger...this was coming with me. I didn't care if it was a bit childish to carry a toy around with me!

Hopping down from the chair, I placed my little plush friend into my bag and put it on again. I couldn't just mull around my room...I had more investigation to partake in! Slipping my goggles over my forehead, I gave myself a determined nod and stepped out of my room.

The hallway was rather chilly as I stepped into it, even despite the sunlight pouring in from all the windows. I approached the next door down and hovered my paw over the doorknob for a moment...I gulped and withdrew...ngh...this must've been my parents' room...ugh... I couldn't go in there...not yet at least. Stepping back, I looked down at the hall at the remaining three doors. One was probably my brother's room... I didn't _particularly_ want to go in there.

I peaked in one of the remaining two doors, it was a bathroom! I remembered the awful state of my fur and stepped right in. The room was ornate and quite luxury…

I quickly stripped down and hopped into the bath, trying to turn the shower on. Sadly, nothing...must've dried up a long time ago…I sighed and geared up again, leaving the bathroom with dirty fur...ugh...I was gonna have to find a river or lake to bathe in later…

Leaving the bathroom, I entered the final doorway. It lead to a large and luxurious kitchen. I stepped inside and smiled at the familiarity of this room. I was quite the lucky pup to have once lived in an apartment like this... _how well paid were my parents…?_

I didn't spend too long in the kitchen, as my tummy groaned loudly in hunger...all that action yesterday must have worn me out more than I expected…

My first instinct was to check the fridge...it was empty...typical...checking the counters, drawers, and cupboards yielded little results. I frowned and rubbed my muzzle... I ran out food from Firmis yesterday...darn…

I was going to have to...go out to find some food...ngh...It wasn't like this place was going anywhere...I'd be fine...I began to head back to my room to pick up my bag...where I would even find some food was beyond me... I was sure that I'd be alright...

* * *

The morning air was crisp in the city streets, sending a shiver down my spine. The sun beautifully reflected on the shiny windows of all the abandoned chrome towers of the past. Wow…I certainly couldn't complain about the beauty of the city sometimes!

"Hmm…" I scratched my furry chin and scanned the urban environment. "...where to find food...I guess I could check V-Mart again…"

With a plan in mind, I started walking to my destination...uh...if I could remember where it was exactly...

* * *

Ok, I must have been heading in the right direction! I'd consult my map, but that was too deep into my bag to easily retrieve…I had a vague sense of where I was going...I think...hoo boy, my sense of direction was _not_ on point today...guess I was gonna have to get my map—

Suddenly two voices somewhere in front of me caught my attention as I froze up in freight. They both sounded male…

"Dude, I _told_ you we should have turned left, but _noooo,_ you insisted we turned right and now look at us, we're lost now!" a stern and unamused voice said.

"It's called 'improv, ' Thetis. That's how all true progress is made—" the second voice responded. Turning a corner was a mudkip and charmander, both wearing scarves and caught up in some kind of argument. The fiery lizard's blue eyes landed on me, his previously jolly expression turning to a scowl...uh oh… "Feral riolu! Six o'clock!"

I immediately took up the battle stance Riley taught me yesterday and braced myself. Before any confrontation could begin, however, the mudkip stepped forward and studied me for a moment.

"Are you a feral?" the mudfish calmly asked.

"A-are you?" I simply responded, loosening up somewhat.

We all awkwardly stood in the shadow of the skyscrapers, staring each other down for a moment before easing up slightly. The mudkip sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Ugh...talk about a close call…"

"Oh...uh, sorry for thinking you were a feral…" the charmander apologized and rubbed the back of his head with a bashful grin and took a step forward to me, but stopped as I instinctively flinched… "My name Helios, and that's Thetis, by the way...what are you doing all the way out here?" Helios tilted his head.

I gulped and stared down at my feet, placing my hands behind my back, why did I feel so nervous all of a sudden…?

"I-I uh…" I mumbled. "I was just exploring—M-my name is Matt, by the way...o-or Matthew, if you like...just not Matty…" Again, my stomach growled, which my two new acquaintances noticed. "...you uh...you wouldn't happen to have any food on you…?

Before I could say anything else, Helios smiled warmly and offered me an apple he retrieved from his bag.

"Here ya go, Matt, " Helios' smile widened as I took the apple from him carefully and immediately took a big bite from it, enjoying the sweet and somewhat sour taste of the fruit. Upon closer examination, Helios' scarf was a deep navy blue color with an ocean design on it, while Thetis' was a fiery red/orange...it took a sec to realize that their scarves matched their types! Pretty snazzy. I noticed that the charmander's face dropped somewhat as he looked me up and down. "Hmm...you wanna come with us, Matt?"

"What?" both the mudkip and I said in perfect unison.

"Well, I doubt that apple was really filling, we got more food back at the camp…" The reptile explained. "...and besides, your fur is uh...quite dirty...you could use a bath…"

"No offense, Matt, but can you really just trust this guy, Helios? We just met him…" Thetis frowned and stared at his friend, shooting the occasional glance up at me...he kinda had a point…

The fiery lizard just frowned more and shook his head.

"And just leave him out here with no food? This goes against what The Minutemon taught us." Helios objected with a determined voice. Would a total stranger seriously just help me out without knowing me…? This charmander was so...kind... I was flattered.

With a heavy sigh, the mudkip dropped his head in defeat.

"Fine, " Thetis grunted and kicked a pebble on the tarmac road beneath us. "...but if the Lieutenant-or Arceus help us; the Brigadier object, it's gonna be _your_ ass on a platter, not mine!"

"T-thank you…" I muttered and looked down. "I hope this isn't bothering you two _too_ much…"

"Nonsense!" Helios happily chirped with a big grin. "We're—well, _I'm_ glad to help you...uh…" He scanned the city for a moment, a perplexed look on his face. He rubbed his chin. "...you wouldn't happen to know the layout of this place, we—"

"Cuz this clown got us lost," Thetis remarked, snark practically oozing from his mouth."

"Who's the bigger fool, Thetis? The fool or the fool who follows him?" The charmander retaliated and quickly turned to face the mudkip. This was getting awkward...I didn't think they liked each other very much...

"H-hey!"

Before anything could further escalate, I blurted out;

"I-I have a map!"

Both Minutemon quickly turned to me with gleaming eyes, like I just told them where the world's biggest stockpile of gold was. I quickly retrieved my map of the city and handed it to Helios. The charmander analyzed the map and scanned the city block we were in, before finally looking at the tall mountain and the sky for directions.

"Awesome! Thanks, Matt! You're a lifesaver!" Helios enthusiastically said beginning to walk east. "Let's go, guys!"

His enthusiasm was quite admirable...but, the fact that they were boys like me...no, it's probably nothing... I gulped and followed the two…

* * *

I felt a strange anxiety within me as I traveled the city streets with these two guys, I trusted their presence well enough, especially the charmander…but, something within me just felt uneasy...it didn't help that I was silently following the two like some awkward third wheel…

I stared down at my feet as I followed the two as quietly as I could, not wanting to bother them any more than I probably have…

Helios turned his head towards me and smiled as we walked through an old suburban area of the city.

"So, Matt," the fiery lizard began as he kicked a can on the street playfully. "Where'd ya come from? You've been pretty quiet throughout our 'lil journey so far."

"I am kinda curious myself, " Thetis added. "What's a riolu pup doing so far from the mountains or their lucario tribe?"

"P-pup?! I'm _fifteen!"_

"still a riolu, which means that to the tribe, you're still technically a puppy to them, and those lucarios get _very_ territorial and protective whenever someone is near their pups," Helios explained for me.

Oh...was I really _this_ rare…?

"Oh...well, I uh...I'm just here on my own for... _personal..._ reasons…" I stuttered with a frown. "I-I don't really wanna get into it…"

"Oh, that's alright, buddy, you don't have to speak about it if you don't want to…" Helios reassured me.

"Cut the chit chat!" Thetis barked and forcefully sprayed a stream of water from his mouth, hitting a trubbish square in the face, knocking it back several feet across the tarmac. "We got ferals! Mainly trubbish!"

"Aww man...how many of these trashy guys are we gonna bump into today?!" Helios complained and fell to a quadruped stance, bellowing out a plume of fire from his mouth. I could even faintly feel it from where I was standing…

As they fought with the trubbish, I spotted a feral zangoose skulking from an old hedge, ready to pounce on us. I couldn't let myself or my friends get ambushed _again..._ not this time. I-I needed to act! I remembered Riley and her cool demeanor throughout our battle yesterday.

I gulped, it was now or never. I sprinted past my two allies and to the zangoose; who likely didn't expect my charge. Before it could properly react, I swiftly punched it in the gut, knocking it down to its knees…aright—! Actually, maybe I should've been less cocky when I get a hit down. The mongoose wasn't down for long though, as it pushed itself to its feet quickly and engaged me. I stood my ground and hid my face behind my forearms, its claws dealing no damage to my boney forearm bumps. _Ngh!_ It did get the flesh to the sides of my bumps, though! Stung like heck…

I parried it by ramming my forearms towards him, catching his claw mid-swing with an awful clinking noise. My forearms made contact with his chest, making him stumble back somewhat. I tried to engage further but got swatted away by the mongoose. I stumbled back and thankfully didn't fall. I immediately took my stance and held my ground. The taller Pokemon charged me quickly, looking ready to pounce. I sidestepped it before it could, swiftly grabbing the scruff of his neck and kicking his leg, tripping him over. I quickly pushed him into the ground and restraining him with my scruff hold, as well as pushing him down with my foot.

The zangoose struggled and growled in my hold, thankfully I was holding it down too well.

"Gosh dang!" Helios said as had jogged over to me with an impressed expression. Behind him, I saw Thetis dousing the flames of a few burning trubbish. Did they have to kill them…? "Yo, Matt, how did you do this?"

"I uh...a friend taught me this…" I bit my lip and had an idea...hopefully this worked. "Could you hold him for a second, Helios?"

"...ok…?"

We switched places. I knelt in front of the zangoose and sighed, looking the taller Pokemon in its red eyes. It scowled at me and grizzled, flaring its nostrils at me. Hopefully, this would work...I cautiously held a paw out a paw to its face. It snapped at me, but I recoiled my hand away.

"I-it's alright, buddy…" I tried to speak in as soothing of a tone as possible. "I don't wanna hurt you…"

It seemed to understand my tone and body language as it hesitantly let me place my paw in front of its nose. The zangoose sniffed my hand slowly. I slowly and steadily reached for the top of its head and stroked it. I couldn't believe I was doing this…

"You can let go, Helios...j-just be slow and don't try to hurt him."

Helios gulped and let go, taking a step back. The mongoose immediately jumped to its feet and looked at me, but I stood my ground with shaky legs.

"You can go now, buddy…" I pointed back to the hedge. It looked at me again and sniffed at me. "Go on! You probably have some p-pups to take care of!"

Taking the hint, it dropped to all four legs and skulked away back to the bushes. I made sure to wave it goodbye.

"Dude, what the _heck_ was that?!" the Charmander loudly asked with a confused chuckle. "Where did you learn to do all that?!"

"I-I uh…" I stuttered. "... I mean it's just a wild animal, you just have to be patient to make friends with one...that's how the humans of yesteryear did it…"

"Yo, Thetis! Check out the feral whisperer over here!"

"Cant! Busy putting the fire _you_ started out!"

I stared at the lizard.

"We should probably help put that out...shouldn't we…?"

"Probably."

Without another word, we ran to help the mudkip…

If I could use my pacification skills...maybe I could avoid killing even more…

* * *

Far from the city of Vigrade, we made it to the Minutemon encampment at last. The sun had almost fully set in the great sky above. The fortification stood at the top of a hill, overlooking the field between here and the city. A wooden palisade encircled the perimeter of the hill and smoke from campfires rose above the wooden walls. I gulped as we reached the entrance of the fort.

"Open up!" Helios shouted at the gates, a machop poking his head over the walls from the battlements. "Oh, uh…" The charmander stood at attention and saluted. "Privates Helios and Thetis, reporting to base with a civilian unit!"

The machop eyed me for a moment, before shrugging and signaling someone inside the encampment to open the gates and turning back to us. I felt uneasy, being brought into a military base like this... I better be on my best behavior...just in case!

"Alright, privates, come on in. Keep the civvy on close watch," He explained in a somewhat monotone voice, his face suggesting boredom. "report to Lieutenant Galvantula to explain why you're back earlier than expected with a civvy."

Both Thetis and Helios saluted the humanoid pokemon.

"Yessir, thank you, Corporal." The mudfish subtlety smiled.

The gates slowly opened, revealing the inside of the fortification. Tents if various shapes colors dotted the encampment, with Pokemon scouts either sharpening their weapons or just speaking to one another. Several campfires were lit, which seemed to be where a majority of the soldiers hung out. I never thought that Pokemon were capable of such...military organization. It was rather intimidating, especially when the soldiers looked at me as I passed. I kept my eyes straight down as I followed my new friends to a large circular tent in the center of the hill. We stopped at the tent's opening for a moment.

"Alright, I'll do the speaking, you know you piss the lieutenant off, Helios…" Thetis gulped and stepped in.

Oh...oh dear…

"W-who is your lieutenant…? Is he scary?" I weakly asked, my knees shaking.

"only when you piss him off, " Helios shrugged… " _which he probably will be when he sees me."_

The reptile beckoned me to follow. I gulped, this couldn't possibly end well…I carefully joined the two privates inside.

"Thetis and Helios, should I even be _surprised_ that you two are back here early?!" I heard as I entered. A large, yellow arachnid scolded my friends from behind a large war table, scanning them with six bright blue eyes."I could discharge you for this, you know— _that wasn't a joke, private Helios, don't even think about laughing!"_

"Sir! I didn't intend to, Sir!" Helios

The electric spider squinted disapprovingly at them, his mandibles twitching as he let out a small sigh.

"Thetis, why are you two back here early? You know how the Brigadier doesn't like his surveys cut short." The lieutenant sighed.

"Sir, we picked up a civilian who is in need of food and bathing," Thetis explained, his eyes looking at the back of the dark war tent. "we couldn't just leave him in the wilderness to potentially starve."

Galvantula looked at me with a sharp gaze, all six eyes somehow looking into mine. I froze up and held my breath.

"I can assume this riolu is the civilian, no?" the spider asked with his suave accent. I nodded. "Very well, you two made the right call here, take him to the mess hall for—" he cut himself off as he noticed a picture on his war table. Three of his eyes looked down while the other three stared at me. What was he…? "Privates. You do realize that you have brought another one of the Felicity Creek terrorists to me, do you not?"

"Wait, what?!" Thetis, Helios and I all said in unison, every eye in the tent on me. My head felt light…

"I-it wasn't me!" I blurted out as I took a step back while looking at the fish and lizard. "I-I promise! You believe me, guys?!"

They just stared at me with agape mouths.

This was bad, what do I—?! AH!

Galvantula got me with some kind of electrical attack before I could react. It didn't hurt, but I felt my limbs go numb and lock up. W-what did he...?! I fell face first into the dirt floor beneath me, unable to even move.

"Good work, you two. That's two out of five apprehended, " the spider cooed in satisfaction, looking down at me as Thetis and Helios stood as rigidly and looking as numb as I was. "take him to the holding cells, I'm sure his accomplice will be _glad_ to see him. The Brigadier will be pleased with this news…"

My body felt so strange...ugh...nauseous...I closed my eyes tightly...

* * *

...ugh…

One of the larger Pokemon- a rhyperior I think came and dragged me out of the tent and was carrying me to the holding cells...could faintly stretch my fingers and toes...wasn't permanent...ugh, I was barely aware of anything thanks to this paralysis...

I was brought into another tent and had my equipment stripped from me before I was shoved into a cage with a dirt floor. Ugh...my captor didn't stick around for long as they left the tent and dumped my bag and goggles into a corner, next to another bag. I could somewhat move, I pushed myself into a sitting position against a wall and sighed, when suddenly, a female voice called from inside the dark tent, specifically in the same cage.

"Who's there?!" She aggressively barked, I turned to face the owner of the voice...it was an eevee…? Her brown fur was as dirty as mine. Her angry face dropped and turned to surprise. " _Matthew…?"_

My heart stopped.

* * *

 **Hazel**

The riolu in front of me tensed up, his strange brown eyes widening and scanning me. It was him...a lump of guilt formed in my throat as I just stared at him, unsure of what to say. I opened my mouth like I wanted to speak...but no words came out. I took a careful step towards him but stopped when he physically flinched and pressed himself into the bars behind him.

The guilt only felt worse...he was _scared_ of me...the memory of me slapping him repeating over and over in my mind...tears stung at the corners of my eyes. Sucking in as much air as I could, I stepped towards the human-turned-riolu. I stood on my haunches and placed my paws on his shoulders. We made brief eye contact, his light brown eyes were filled with fear, likely because he expected me to slap him again. With a careful movement, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, quietly whispering;

" _I'm sorry…"_

Almost immediately, Matt started crying lightly and returned my hug, hiding his face in my fluffy mane. His body was rough with dirt, but it was still warm. A single tear rolled down my face and onto the top of his head.

" _H-Hazel…"_ Matt whimpered, his voice muffled by my fur. I wasn't aware that he was this... _sensitive_...it didn't matter, I had to be strong, no matter what. " _...I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry…"_

"Shh...I'm here…I'm here…" I reassured him with a whisper.

There we sat, just embracing each other for a while, before breaking it. My mane was wet with his tears...I took a step back from him and sat down. I scanned him up and down, frowning at the state he was in. His light blue coat of fur was now dark blue and rigid with dirt. Poor Matt…

I gave him a weak smile and grabbed the top of his foot like I usually would, squeezing it gently.

"Hiya, Matt…how're you?"

Matt, while rubbing his eyes responded:

"I-I'm alright, a-all things considered, but, " He frowned and tilted his head at me, tears still running down his face freely. "how are you here? I thought you were with the torterra herd…"

"H-hehe...that's the thing…" I let out a half chuckle and scratched my head, staring down at my paws. "I uh...I got your note and got worried...so I kinda came looking for you...I also wanted to apologize for what I done...then as I was looking, these lads...arrested me."

Matt scowled at me.

"They didn't interrogate you or hurt you, did they?!"

"No, no…I'm fine, " I gave him another weak smile. "what about you? You look like you've been on the receiving end of a thunder wave…"

"I-I'm fine...I think."

For a moment, we sat in awkward silence in the dark cell. I licked my lips and sighed.

"Look, Matthew…" my smile wavered as I looked into the canine's eyes. "I'm really sorry about what happened two days ago... I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions like that...I know you just wanted to keep me safe…"

Matt mimicked my expression and responded.

"And I'm sorry for just dragging you out of there and not telling you what I was doing... I was too hasty…A-and I forgive you, by the way, Hazel..."

"I forgive you too, Matthew." I grinned with tears forming in my eyes and held a paw out for him. "Travel Buddies?"

He shifted and sat with his knees, taking my small paw in his bigger one and shaking it. He flashed a weak smile at me while wiping his eyes with his free hand. We shook paws yet again.

"Travel Buddies."

I let go of his paw and quickly took him into another embrace, shedding tears of joy. He happily hugged me back, his paws holding me just above my tail as I held his shoulders.

I was so glad to have him back...so glad…

"When I get my book back, _Human_ , you and I are going to have a _loooooooong_ talk about your species…" I playfully said as we rocked each other somewhat.

"I-I have no objections…"

I sighed in content...at least I wasn't alone in this bloody cell…

But before we could continue this hug, an unfamiliar voice called out.

"Hey, Matt, I know we're not supposed to be here—oh!" Matt and I quickly turned to face the source of the voice. Stood before the cage with a bag in hand was a Charmander with a mudkip by his side, both looking at us with agape mouths. The lizard blushed and looked down, rubbing the back of his head nervously while the fish awkwardly shuffled his feet on the dirt floor. "S-sorry, we weren't interrupting anything, were we?"

"Not really…" I responded, regretfully breaking the hug with my riolu travel buddy and stepping back. "...these your friends, Matt?"

The riolu nodded in embarrassment.

"I didn't know you were friends with the eevee." the mudkip mumbled…

Matt swallowed.

"Hazel, that's Thetis and Helios, my friends…" the riolu introduced them. "Thetis and Helios, this is Hazel...my best friend…"

I blushed slightly. I was his best friend...?

Helios chuckled and took a step over to the cage as Thetis stood by the entrance, peeking out every so often. The charmander handed Matt the small bag and stepped back, placing his hands on his hips.

"I got you some food, Matt, you looked hungry…" he looked at me and smiled. "You don't mind sharing, do you? This is all the food I could get."

Matt shook his head slightly and smiled meekly.

" _Dude, hurry up! The guards are on patrol"_ Thetis hissed, looking anxious to leave.

Helios nodded quickly and knelt down to our level.

"You two sit tight now, this'll work itself out eventually…" With a quick motion, he threw both of our bags to us and hurried to the exit, flashing a goofy grin at us. "Thank me later! See you around!"

Wow...he was bloody nice! Tsk, wish I was there when Matt met those lads. Without hesitation, we took our bags into our cell and threw them in a corner. Matt opened the food baggie Helios gave us and placed it down, revealing a few different kinds of berries and half a loaf of bread. I internally thanked the lizard as we began to chow down.

* * *

We ate and shared stories of how the last day transpired, laughing and having some good banter along the way. The riolu even showed me some of the souvenirs he had picked up in the city...his little zigzagoon stuffed animal was especially adorable. I sat holding it in my paws while wearing his goggles that were a little bit big for an eevee like me...they hung off my face awkwardly. Every little detail he gave was immediately written down by me, he was a bloody good source of information!

Matt stared at a strange wooden square in his hands, his eyes full of sadness, yet he wore a smile on his face. He beckoned me to come close, which I did without hesitation, sitting close by his side and adjusting my glasses to see better.

"This…" he quietly sighed, showing me a drawing…? A diagram…? Whatever it was, it depicted three humans, all female as far as I could tell. One had black fur on her head, while the two had golden fur on theirs. Where he got such a bloody good drawing though was beyond me...it looked so bloody real! "...this is a photograph of my mother, sister and I…" he pointed to the shorter human with golden fur, "...that's me...or, _was_ me, at least..."

Oh...awkward...glad I didn't say anything about his... _femininity._

The riolu pouted and stared at the 'photograph' glumly before staring at his paw.

"S-still not used to this body…" Matt mumbled and handed the picture to me. "...I look so different…"

I compared him to the picture of himself. While their obvious differences were very apparent, his eyes had the same soft look to them and his face was very rounded and soft; not a single sharp angle to be seen.

I opened my mouth to speak, but two muffled voices outside the dark tent cut me off. Both Matt and I froze up to listen.

" _I'm glad you have returned from your mission early, Brigadier...the prisoners are just in here, brought in my Privates Thetis and Helios,"_ An accented voice explained to what was probably his superior. " _I'm sure you'll be happy with how we captured—"_

" _I'll be the judge of that, Lieutenant."_ The deep voice of the 'Brigadier` responded. " _wait out here, you three. I'll have a word with your prisoners."_

Military type, eh? I could handle this. I've dealt with a Centurion before. I glanced at Matt; who adamantly stared at the tent's entrance and began to quiver. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, giving the ex-human a brave smile and mouthing 'we'll be fine' to him.

The tent's entrance flap was pushed aside by a cream-colored paw, revealing a ninetales. He scanned the area for a moment before looking at us and elegantly approaching the cage.

"Who are you?! What do you want with us?!" I hissed at the firefox before he could even open his mouth, taking him by surprise. His muzzle was agape in shock for a moment. " _Well?! Are you just going to stand there or are you going to answer me?!"_

"Well now, " the vulpes said with a deep voice full of surprise as he sat down. "this is a first. I thought I'd be the interrogator, not the interrogatee. You've certainly got more fire in you than me, and I'm not sure whether I should be impressed or scared of that. But to answer your question, "

The ninetales cleared his throat and placed a paw on his chest proudly, holding his head high and fluttering his nine long tails.

"I am Brigadier Nonus of the Minutemon 1st Recon Brigade, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms…?"

I scrunched my nose up at him and frowned, being sure to look him dead in the eye.

"Nunovya."

"N-Nunovya…?" He titled his head in sheer confusion

" _Nunovya bloody business, Ninetales, "_ I smirked. I heard Matt subdue a laugh behind me. "We didn't do anything wrong. We're here for no good reason."

The ninetales' eyes widened and his jaw dropped before he gazed at me with a _very_ unamused expression.

"Charming, " he sighed and shook his head. "I hope your little riolu friend is a lot more cooperative. Are you…?"

I let out a small growl and stood in front of Matt, who seemed petrified of what the brigadier would do to us. Nonus frowned at the riolu and rubbed his chin.

"Hmm...could a scared child like you truly instigate a terrorist attack on the museum…?" Nonus reached into a pouch around his waist and pulled a wanted poster of Matt out and frowned. "Whoever wrote this must be mistaken…hmm…"

"W-we didn't do it! I swear!" Matt pleaded. "We could tell you our side of the story...if that could help…"

"I _suppose_ that could help. Privates!" Nonus shouted out, followed by Thetis and Helios rushing in and saluting the nine-tailed fox. "take the riolu to your tent, I want the eevee's side of the story first."

"Yessir!" both privates said in unison and began approaching the cage...

* * *

After a long hour or so of interrogations, I was finally brought back to the holding cells by Thetis and Helios after Nonus and a galvantula officer had finished interrogating Matt.

"Alright, you two, " the brigadier spoke as I was put back in the cell. "I'm going out on a limb here, but, your testimonies are the same and are a more believable tale than what the news says, so, I think you two are free to go, I apologize for our transgressions," he spoke with genuine humility in his voice. "You're free to go...or you can stay in our camp for tonight, night times aren't usually the safest."

"What do you want to do, Matthew?" I looked at the riolu with an urge to protect him.

"Uhh...I'll stay...y-you wouldn't happen to have anywhere I could uh...wash up, would you…?" Matt asked.

"We'll take them to the river, Thetis quickly piped up and motioned us to follow. Without hesitation, I stood up and followed him, as did Matt and the charmander. I glanced back to the kitsune and the spider; who seemed to be discussing the whole museum incident. Strange…at least it felt good to be a free 'lil vee with her friend again!

Matt, Thetis, Helios and I all made our way through the encampment that was now bathed in a deep orange hue from the setting sun. The days were getting longer and warmer, spring was soon approaching...

* * *

Stood at the bottom of the hill that housed the Minutemon base was a small wooded area that had a small river flowing through it. The trees sheltered us from the crisp evening wind nicely.

I started at the reflection of a dirty eevee and frowned. Bloody 'ell... I knew that I shouldn't have cut through that marsh to try and catch up with Matt...ugh, this would need a good scrubbin'.

Testing the water with a paw, I shivered at the coldness of it but forced myself to slowly enter it after taking my bag off. I needed this bath above all else...

Coldness enveloped my furry form as I walked into the water, I trembled for a moment, slowly getting used to the chill. I sighed and lowered myself into the river so it came to just below my nose. Closing my eyes, I sighed in content. I needed this…I opened an eye and watched the dirt in my fur slowly washing out with the river's flow. But water alone wasn't going to be enough. I turned around and placed my paws on the riverbank.

"Matty-boy? Could you grab the shampoo out of me bag there?" I asked the timid riolu as he carefully tested the water for an extended period. He looked to me, then to my bag, before silently following my orders. "Little blue bottle, luv! Half full!"

I continued to scan my surroundings for a while. The trees swayed gently, as did the grass and bushes. The sound of flowing water paired with the light chatter between our new fishy and fiery friends was all that could be heard right now. Ahh...this was nice...an actually pleasant quiet…almost makes a girl forget the madness that transpired in that bloody library just two days ago. Hopefully, we won't see those four twats again…

"H-here, Hazel." Matt offered the small blue bottle to me from the riverbank. Taking it from him, I smiled at him in gratitude. "How's the water…?"

"Bit chilly, luv, but it's quite alright!"

With a nod, the riolu climbed into the river with me, sitting to my left. He quietly hissed in what sounded like pain as he lowered himself into the river. I looked at him with concern. He still wore the bandage I gave him around his right bicep and his movements were rather stiff and rigid. Was that from the thunder wave, or something else…?

"Matthew?" I asked my travel buddy and scooted over to him, gently grabbing his shoulder; which caused him to wince a bit. He looked at me with his brown eyes that were full of pain. "You're awfully stiff, you alright?"

"I uh...got into some pretty bad fights with feral Pokemon in the city…" Matt sighed. "...I'm not hurt badly, just aching mostly…"

"Aww...I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, Matt…" I slowly undid the bandage around his arm. Thankfully, his shuriken wound had healed completely, leaving just a small scab and some cut fur. "where about does it ache most?"

"A-arms and shoulders, mainly…"

"Would massage help?" I asked him with a tilt of my head.

"You don't have to, Hazel—"

"I know, but I _want_ to, " was my response. He was silent for a moment before nodding timidly. This was my cue. "Alright, come 'ere, luv. Just sit in front of me and lean back somewhat."

He followed my orders without hesitation and placed himself in front of me, leaning backward and resting his head on my mane. His body was much stiffer than mine... _I was going to have to fix this_. Alright, how did Mummy do this again?

I gently grabbed the grooves in between his neck and shoulders, tenderly caressing them with my paws. His fur was still rough with dirt. He tensed up at the contact but quickly loosened up as I continued. This was pretty soothing, actually! Maybe I should qualify to be a certified masseuse~ his arms, while lean, still had some pretty defined muscles. Mainly around the bicep. Typical of a fighting type, I suppose. I must've been doing something right because Matt let out a small coo of comfort and pressed himself into me even further.

"That better, Matt?" I asked in a sing-song tone, smiling widely at the riolu. "How're your legs and feet, should I…?"

"N-Nah, my legs are fine…" the riolu spoke with a relaxed sigh.

"Alrighty, then, should I just continue with the—?"

" _CANNONBALL!"_

We barely had time to react to our mudkip companion diving into the river near us, splashing both me and Matt severely. Thetis poked his scaly head out of the river, giggling all the way. _The bugger!_ I let out a confused chuckle as I was now completely soaked. But what surprised me most, was the fact that Matt started laughing too.

The mudkip started at Matt and me with a slight smile.

"Sorry about that, I didn't know I'd make as much of a splash—" I didn't even let him finish before splashing the fish playfully. His beady eyes were wide for a moment before he smiled evilly at us. "I see how it is."

The mudkip retaliated with a large splash of his own, soaking both Matt and me again, causing us to laugh and quickly stand up. Matt kicked a whole lot of water at the water type as I splashed him as well.

"Hey! No fair! _I need backup!"_ Thetis playfully shouted and ducked his head into the river, swimming away, likely in search of his charmander friend.

"We make a good team, don't we, Matty-boy?" I happily asked. The riolu looked down at me with a hint of playfulness in his eyes. Uh oh...I've never seen this look from him before!

" _Who said we were on a team, eevee?"_ He responded and splashed me, giggling lightly all the way.

"You cheeky bugger!" I loudly laughed as we started lobbing water at the other. The riolu started walking backward away from me as I gave chase. "Oi! Get back here!"

I...I felt like a kid again...this was so fun! I should make the most out of this moment...

* * *

After about half an hour of play, we finally tired ourselves out and hastily worked our way back to camp as the sun was almost fully set in the sky. We were climbing up the hill with damp, but squeaky clean fur.

"So you _don't_ die when your fire goes out?" Matt asked Helios, focusing closely on the lizards tail, which was missing its signature flame.

"You wouldn't _believe_ how much us charmanders are asked that question, hehe." the jolly lizard responded.

"O-oh...I' —"

"Don't be! It doesn't annoy me or anything!" Helios reassured my best friend. "But yeah, contrary to the myth, our tails just regulate and filter out any potentially harmful and flammable gasses from our body. If not, we'd probably explode or something along those lines. Because of our little splashy splash back there, the moisture extinguished the flame, but I'm still pumping out those gasses as we speak."

I was going to have to write that down! I didn't know that!

"Hey uh, Hazel…?" Thetis quietly asked from my side, his eyes scanning my bag. I smiled at the fish in acknowledgment. "I uh... I couldn't help but notice you had some books in that bag of yours, I uh—"

"Thetis is a total geek and bookwurmple." Helios butted in with a chuckle. Thetis' face turned bright red. "He wants to geek out with you because he collects books."

"Dude! Shut it!"

I shot a disapproving glance at the lizard before smiling at the fish as we entered the base again, heading for the tent.

"Sure! If you're interested in legends, history, and all that good shite." I happily answered as we got to our new friend's tent. Thetis chuckled lightly with a smile.

"I do like that stuff actually! Got quite a few history books myself."

"Ugh, just what we _need,_ another dork!" Helios teased and slung an arm around Matt's shoulder, (though he immediately retracted when the riolu flinched.) "We're not dorks, are we, Matt?"

"I-I mean…" Matt stuttered, staring at the floor. "...you like chess or military strategy? 'C-cuz it's wicked smart…"

" _Oh no…"_ the reptile shuddered. "I'm _surrounded_ by _dorks!"_

I couldn't help but chuckle at the charmander's faux panic. Thetis seemed to agree, and surprisingly, so did Matt! I was glad that he was slowly coming out of his shell...even if it was _slow_ …

Helios opened the tent for us but froze when he heard a voice from behind us.

"Privates! Why aren't you on sentry duty?! You were supposed to be there _ten_ minutes ago!"

Helios chuckled and rubbed the back of his head as Thetis looked down in embarrassment. The charmander was the one to respond.

"S-sorry, Sir, we were just looking after these civvies and kinda got sidetracked, hehe…" He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "W-we should _probably_ do that now…"

"Uh, Hazel, Matt, you two can have my bed for tonight...it's the one closest to this side of the tent…" the mudfish quietly mumbled and started following his friend. "Uhh...goodnight I guess…"

How he knew we were probably going to sleep was beyond me, but he was right...sleepiness was approaching this little eevee...and her riolu buddy, whose eyes were starting to droop.

"Righty-o, you two...nighty-o." I happily yawned as the two walked away to the walls of the base. I looked at Matt and smiled gently at him, ducking into the tent.

Surprisingly, for a tent where two boys lived, there was no smell or mess, it was generally tidy in here! Well, I suppose I shouldn't stereotype...Matt _was_ awfully girly…I noticed that the pile of hay nearest the entrance was surrounded by books. That must have been our bed, then. I dropped my bag on the floor and made myself comfortable by spinning around a couple of times and laying down with my head on my paws. My fur smelt so lovely and soapy thanks to the bath! Probably shouldn't lick, though…

Matt stripped down and bit his lip nervously, repeatedly staring at me and his feet.

"A-are you comfortable with me sleeping in the same bed as y-you…? Because if you're not…" Matt spoke with his usual lack of confidence. "...I could just sleep on the—"

"Rubbish! I didn't spend five minutes teaching you to clean your fur just for you to sleep on the dirty floor!" I laughed and patted the area of the pile of hay next to me, inviting him to sit. He timidly approached and sat down, crossing his legs and looking at everything in the blue tent except for me. "Besides, I don't mind at all, I'm a hardy eevee!" I giggled before turning serious for a moment. "look, Matt...I don't want to hurt you, but...I don't think you can last for _too_ long on your own out here...from your amnesia to your human origins…"

Matt's eyes filled with sadness for a second.

"...That's why I want to help and protect you. Because you're _literally_ something that I'd write in my book...that's pretty special if you ask me…" I explained and gave the timid pooch a light smile. He meekly returned the smile and stared at his lap. "and I know someone who can definitely help with your memory problems!"

"Y-you do?!" His big brown eyes shined with surprise, his tail wagging slightly.

"Yup, my mummy, Lana! Powerful psychic with a knack for human-related stuff!" I cheerily explained. His eyes only lit up more. "only one problem though...s-she has been missing for about a year now, along with my daddy...Martyn…that's why I'm traveling around the continent, I'm looking for clues…"

I frowned, subduing my emotions as to not cry...unlike Matt, who just stared at me with tears in his eyes. Oh no...

"Y-you're missing your parents, too…?" He sniffed. "...I-I'm so sorry…"

"Hey, don't be, luv. I know I'll find them soon. And they'll help you! And until then, I'll make sure that you're safe...alright?" I asked. He nodded meekly. I stood up and opened my arms, he gulped and crawled towards me, letting me take him into a tight hug. His fur so was fluffy and soft after our bath...this was nice. "It's good to have you back, Matthew…"

"T-thank you for everything you're doing for me... it's good to have you back too…" Matt yawned, exhaustion clear in his light voice. We broke apart and smiled at one another before lying down and making ourselves comfortable. I curled up into a ball and used my tail as a pillow, as he just flopped down on his side. He opened his eye and smiled warmly. "g-goodnight, Hazel…"

"Night, luv…"

"Why are you calling me 'luv' all of a sudden?"

"Just a common term of endearment where I'm from, _luv."_

"I see…"

Not a word was shared between us as we drifted off to sleep...ah...having Matt again was lovely...I missed him quite a bit…I opened an eye and stared at him, watching as his chest rose and fell with his breathing...poor Matt...I hope that he gets his memories back at some point...and I'd be there with him every step of the way! It's what travel buddies do for one another…

* * *

 **Sir Bisharp**

"'ow many fingers am I holding up?"

"All four, I believe…"

"Alright, you're not _completely_ blind."

"Damage is not permanent, to a ghost like me...this should heal fully soon."

Sirs Aegislash and Pangoro discussed among themselves _loudly_ as I tried to sleep on a nearby log under the jungle's canopy, though the humidity and rain only served to make sure sleep would never happen... _bah_...I shifted around on the log, the wood proving to be the most uncomfortable thing I've ever _attempted_ to sleep on! Hmph!

With a dissatisfied grunt, I pushed myself upright and stared at the large panda and recovering sword. Aegislash's eye was mostly back to normal and his right arm had since healed itself. I suppose that was a good thing at least, a blind leader is never something to follow…

"Well, look who's awake, how'd ya sleep, _little sleeping beauty?"_ the brute prodded, grinning at me cruelly with his sharp teeth.

"Hmph, silence, you, " I scoffed and ignored him, while physically slightly affronted, he didn't bother to engage me. Good riddance, he wasn't deserving of my blade. I peered over to my superior "Any sign of Sir Gabriel?"

"Unfortunately not, Gene...he's been MIA since the museum incident." the sword sighed...somehow. I shot a dirty look at Pangoro for a brief moment before looking back at aegislash, squinting due to the intense twilight that shrouded the jungle. "For the time being, we just have to report to the designated meeting spot…"

"Starmie is probably gonna mount one of our arses to his mantelpiece for this." Pangoro shrugged.

"He's gonna need a pretty big mantlepiece for you, Gaston." I jabbed under my breath, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Oi!"

" _Enough, both of you!"_ Aegislash hissed loudly, stopping a confrontation between Pangoro and me almost immediately. " _Enough of your constant bickering! This is_ _ **not**_ _how a team is supposed to act!"_

Ugh, _again_ with the teamwork crap...

"The Lord has put his faith in us, and we failed him, it's best not to fail him even further! We've embarrassed ourselves enough trying to capture the riolu! I suggest we get to the Astral Observatory as soon as possible!" Aegis spoke with a harsh tongue, easily cutting foliage out of the way.

"Are you sure you can even _see_ well enough to lead us there?" I scoffed and shook my head. There was _no_ way he could even do this.

"A sliver of vision is _infinitely_ stronger than blindness, Sir Bisharp, " he spat at me, not bothering to face me. "but ignorance and lack of faith might as well be blindness, I suggest you open your eyes and swallow your pride, for once."

T-that…?! Grr...just as I was about to reach for my blade, a huge paw grabbed my shoulder and held me back. Pangoro shook his head at me, looking down at me with dark eyes...ngh… _this was beneath me!_

"Ya sure we're gonna just leave Gabe behind?" the panda asked. Both Aegis and I stopped and looked at him with confused expressions. "His skills _could_ be handy, just in case we need to find the interloper…"

I wasn't sure whether to be more confused at how he seemed to almost _care_ for Gardevoir or how he spoke more than four words per sentence…

"While your concern for a fellow knight is admirable, Sir Pangoro, I'm certain that he'll find his own way back." my sharp superior signed and began floating ahead again. Pangoro merely let out a snort and began to follow.

Hmph, this was going to be a _long_ walk, wasn't it…?

 _ **End of Chapter...**_


	10. Chapter 10: Lunar Flare

(AN) Here we are, the big 10...with my upcoming retcons, I've changed the characters a bit this chapter to be more enjoyable, so, I hope you like it, let's begin everyone!

* * *

 **Chapter 10:**

 **Lunar Flare** _ **.**_

* * *

 **Matt**

So warm...so cozy…

I instinctively curled up, raising my shoulders and bringing my legs to my stomach. I didn't bother to keep my eyes open for long. The tent was shrouded in darkness. On the hay bed, opposite to mine was Thetis and Helios, both still fast asleep and all cozy like. The charmander's mere presence in the tent kept the cold away... I think… early morning light crept through the tent flap. I should just fall back asleep—

 _Something rubbed my neck!_

I sucked in some air and looked at the offending neck feeler. Slung around the base of my neck was a single brown paw...Hazel…? My heart rate slowed as I knew it was a friend...but fear quickly turned into embarrassment... _why was she holding me…?!_ I could feel her fluffy mane pressing up against the back of my head, her light breath on my ears. _Was she the warmth I was feeling?!_

I held my breath and shivered. This was awkward…the eevee mumbled in her sleep and just held me tightly...what a way to start the day... I guess it _was_ somewhat cozy...I curled up even tighter as I felt something unfamiliar well up in me...was this...what _protection_ feels like…?

" _...That's why I want to help and protect you. Because you're literally something that I'd write in my book...that's pretty special if you ask me…"_ Hazel's words from yesterday echoed in my head. I guess this wasn't _too_ bad if it was her way of protecting me…I sighed in content and pulled my bag over as gently as I could, not wanting to accidentally wake any of my tent-mates. I rummaged through it for a moment and retrieved my riolu book, flicking to the page I left on. Page seventeen…

" _You may have noticed the dangly appendages hanging from the temples of your riolu friend and thought to yourself, 'What in the Moon Lord's name are those?"_ Come to think of it...I had no idea what these were specifically for…peered at the loose tendril hanging over my face. " _They are the Aura feeling organs of the Pokemon. While still small in their puppy-like riolu state, they can still sense the feelings and emotions of others quite strongly. Riolus tend to be very empathetic and intelligent creatures. However, be warned that these are very sensitive to the touch and prolonged caressing may cause a sensory overload your pet."_

...Overload…? I carefully grabbed the tendril on my face and stroked it slowly and carefully, sending a jolt of...of... _something..._ down my spine...ugh...I shouldn't have done that…

"M...Matt?" A light voice called my name from behind…oh no… "You awake…?"

"Y-yeah…?"

" _OmigoshI'msorry!"_ Hazel gasped and immediately withdrew her paw from my neck and stood up.

"W-why were you holding me, Hazel…?" I shyly stuttered, struggling to look at her.

"O-oh...you felt that did you?" she sighed. "It was raining pretty heavily last night and you were shivering...that's all."

"I-I see…" I gulped, wanting to change the subject. "A-anyway, what're our plans for today, Travel Bud?"

I was hoping she had a plan…

Her deep brown eyes gleamed at the words 'travel bud."

"Oh! I honestly don't know!" She giggled and winked at me, sticking her tongue out. Darn… "I suppose we could get up and think over breakfast." the eevee rubbed her chin and rummaged through her bag. "Want a 'cuppa, luv?"

"Uh...sure, thanks…" I yawned and pushed myself upright, rubbing my eyes and feeling admittedly more refreshed than usual.

"Got enough for two more?" Our charmander companion happily asked, propping himself upon his arm.

"What kinda Western girl would I be if I _didn't_ have enough tea in my bag to sustain a small family, _Helios_?"

"living, breathing stereotype, aren't you, ' _Eve?"_ Helios smirked; causing Hazel to scrunch her nose in disgust.

" _Eve?!"_ She playfully hissed, shooting daggers at the reptile as he slowly stood up and stretched. "No eevee in her right mind would want to be _called 'Eve!"_

"Dude…" The sleepy mudkip yawned and blinked repeatedly, rubbing an eye with a flipper. "...could you two be any _louder?"_

Throughout this whole scene, I couldn't help but let out some quiet giggles, trying not to make too much noise.

"Well, I dunno about you lads, but I'm going to try to find somewhere with a kettle so...coming?" Hazel asked, holding a small bag of what I assumed to be tea in her mouth. I quickly stood up to join her.

Helios chuckled.

"Look for a larger tent with a firepit in front of it. That's the mess hall." He peered at his mudkip buddy with an unamused expression. "Just have our drinks ready, I need to stop 'ol _sleepyhead_ here from slipping back into dreamland here."

"Dude... too tired for this…" Thetis buried his head in the hay bed beneath him.

Looks like it was just Hazel and me...just like old times.

We walked out of the tent into the warm sun of the morning. The grass below was wet from previous rainfall.

"Sleep well, Matt?"

"Better than all the other sleep I've had as a riolu…having a guardian angel and all…" I playfully smirked and placed my hands behind my head.

"Guardian…? Well, I never thought of myself as angelic, heh."

"why not?"

"Probably all the _fucking_ swearing I do."

I blushed and looked down as some Minutemon troops gave us strange looks from her... _colorful..._ vocabulary…

"Y-your language is atrocious, Hazel…" I mumbled nervously.

"Hehe, spend enough time living in the West, and the swearing will stick…'course, mummy never liked it…" the eevee girl's tone dropped as she became silent traveling through the encampment. Oh no…

"Oh...s-sorry for reminding you…" I trembled, trying not to tear up about this familiar situation...

"Don't be. We'll find her soon." Hazel spoke with a strong voice... I wished I could have been as strong as Hazel or Riley… "Ok, I think this is the place."

* * *

Inside the tent was a variety of Pokemon all having their breakfast, some shooting us questioning looks as we pass, I instinctively made myself as small as I could as Hazel led me to the most out of the way and abandoned table in the dim tent. I jumped to the nearest chair. Hazel gave me a concerned glance and scanned everyone else in the room, her eyes notably landing on the machop from yesterday. What was she…?

With a whisper, Hazel explained herself.

" _Look, if I were you, I'd keep the fact that you're a human quiet for a while, "_ She sighed and stared at me with a serious expression. I tilted my head and opened my mouth to speak, but I got my answer immediately. " _Especially if you're a Lunar Republic Human, they've garnered quite a 'reputation over the years…"_

"W-what kinda reputation…?"

"The _warmongering_ kind…"

"O-oh...I think I might have been a Lunar Human…" I nervously looked down.

"You're lucky you're too sweet to be a warmonger." she turned and looked around squinted, likely in search of a kettle.

"W-warmonger?" I gulped, a shiver rushing down my spine. Were humans…?

"Ever heard of the ' _Eclipse War?_ " she asked with a tilt of her head. I closed my eyes and tried to recollect if I knew anything about that subject...my mind drew a blank... I shook my head and frowned. "Ah, well...I'll give you my book after this if ya want."

"That'd be nice…"

"You sit tight now, Matt."

As she left, I took a moment to ponder my situation. I was back with Hazel, had new friends and...a _destination._ I felt a twinge of excitement course through me as I leaned back in my seat, letting out a quiet sigh. I could imagine Hazel's mother helping me with my memory issues. Things were definitely looking up for me. I closed my eyes and cooed. Should've brought one of my books. Ah well, best to take in the quiet moments while they're here.

But my mind wandered off to our horrible day at Felicity Creek. _Who_ exactly were those 'knights' that attacked us…? Who was this 'Lord Starmie' the aegislash spoke of…? Ugh...hopefully I never saw them again...I doubted that they'd make a move on us here...ugh, why was this world so topsy-turvy? I thought about my eevee friend, as long as I was with her, I would be fine.

I heard a few cups get placed on the table. I opened my eyes and saw Hazel with four cups and a boiled kettle, with a cup of milk and sugar. She poured her tea and smiled at me from across the table.

"Help yourself, luv. I dunno how you like yours." She spoke with her usual sweet and upbeat tone, a big smile on her face.

"Th-thanks, Hazel…" I gave the fox a timid smile, pouring tea and adding sugar and milk. "How did you get all this here, don't you need all four paws to walk…?"

"Tricks of the trade, luv, tricks of the trade." She winked and stuck her tongue out, taking a little sip of tea. "Spend enough time with me, and you'll know how to make tea like a champ."

"Hehe...I'm sure you'll rub off on me…" I chuckled and blew on my tea, smiling at the fox, who smiled back. I gulped and got more serious. "...So...what's next on our agenda? Where do we go next?"

"Hmm...ca be 'travel buddies' without anywhere to travel, I suppose…" she rubbed the bottom of her muzzle with the top of her paw, a slight smile on her foxy face. "I suppose we could-"

"Yo, is our tea done?" My charmander buddy asked and sat next to me, wearing a big smile. "Dunno how I managed to get sleeping beauty awake, hehe."

Thetis jumped up onto the bench, seated next to Hazel, his beady black eyes heavy. He yawned loudly and poured his tea.

"Constant pestering, that's how…" the mudkip mumbled. They seemed like good friends. "Anyway...how are you two doing?" he asked through a yawn.

"I'm alright, " I shrugged. "just trying to figure out what to do next with Hazel…"

"By 'figure out' he means 'sit here, drink tea and not figure things out." Hazel giggled and winked at me. Thanks, Hazel... "Well, to be honest, I don't really know what exactly to do either, maybe Matt and I will drift for a while, sightsee et cetera."

I simply nodded in agreement. Helios seemed a bit disappointed with our answer, as he pouted a bit.

"Oh. Well…" he flashed a wide grin at us. "Make sure you visit us every once in a while!"

I felt a twinge of sadness well up as he said that, only now did it occur to me that we would have to leave Thetis and Helios. I didn't want to say goodbye to my new friends...I was probably gonna cry when that time came...I looked at my eevee friend, who knew that I was gonna unleash the waterworks when that time came judging by the look on her face. I...I should have enjoyed what little time I had with the two left...I sipped my tea and gladly joined into the proceeding conversations. (Though, my lack of knowledge about this world did make me ask a _lot_ of questions!)

All four of us spoke for upward of an hour, speaking about whatever we could, the weather, the landscape etc. Hazel was really excited to speak about the legends and myths of the continent that I just learned was called 'Cosma' by the locals. Even without her book, Hazel could speak about just about every legendary figure by name off by heart with a certain level of extreme enthusiasm in her accented voice. She was amazingly dedicated to her writing, I must say. Thetis and Helios stopped speaking to let her go on about the legends, as they were clearly very impressed or bewildered.

"Dude…" Thetis gasped slightly, his eyes widening as he stared at the very proud eevee. "Where did you learn of all this?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Hazel winked at the mudkip by her side. "My mummy had her own huge study back home! You couldn't see the walls because of the bookshelves!"

"I think we found the _apex_ geek, Matt," Helios turned to me and grinned, placing his empty cup down. "You're still a geek, but I've determined that you're the _least_ geeky geek out of us, minus me of course!"

"Thanks...?"

"High praise from you, Helios," The mudkip rolled his eyes and looked at me. "Nothing wrong with being a geek like us."

I smiled, knowing that the fiery lizard was completely outnumbered here, though my smile faded as I stared into my empty cup. I didn't want to leave them...I gazed to Helios and Thetis, who were smiling and playfully arguing as they usually did. This goodbye was gonna _sting._

Once we had all finished, we left the tent into the warm sun, slowly walking to the main gates of the encampment after picking our stuff up, as a horrible sinking feeling appeared in my gut as we got ever closer. Breath, Matt...don't feel bad, I could visit them whenever I liked...I shivered and tried to reassure myself.

"Sucks to see you guys leave so soon," Helios frowned and tapped his foot as the gates opened slowly for us. "Just make sure to visit us every once and awhile, ok?"

"You promised that we could read together, eevee," The mudkip smirked cheekily at us. "Don't completely forget about us, alright? You guys were cool."

"Aww, thanks, lads!" my eevee best friend chuckled with a hearty smile, offering a paw to the mudkip, who gladly took it and shook it. "We won't hoodwink you two, eh Matt?"

"N-no…" I felt tears forming in my eyes. _Why did I have to be so sentimentalllllll?_ Letting myself cry a bit, I mustered my best smile for Thetis and Helios as I felt my eyes leak. "T-thank you, both of you...You guys were- _wha?!_ "

Before I could even comprehend what happened, Helios hugged me! The charmander was warmer than anything I've ever felt so far...While stunned for a second, I meekly returned the hug with him. Surprisingly, he was mindful of his flaming tail, which he kept far from me. This was nice...

"H-Helios... _you're making me cry more…"_ I half chuckled as we broke our hug and smiled at each other. "B-but thanks…"

"Hey, no worries," He patted my shoulder and reached into his bag to retrieve something as Thetis coughed something along the lines of 'Saps,' which made me chuckle slightly. After a second or two of rummaging, the charmander pulled out a small wood carving of a sawsbuck in winter forme by the looks of it! "If you need something to remember us by, here. And before you try and refuse, this is a goodbye gift! So you _can't_ refuse!

I happily took the gift and closely inspected it closely. I felt Hazel use me as leverage as she stood in to inspect it further. To my surprise, the craftsmanship of this thing was _excellent!_ It was a perfect depiction of a stag with every detail lovingly put in. On the bottom was a signature from Helios. I quickly looked up at him as my jaw dropped. D-did he—? As if he knew what I was thinking about, he displayed his sharp claws with a big smile.

"Yep, I made it!"

I smiled and let a few tears fall as I hugged the lizard tightly. He chuckled in response and hugged me back, patting my back lightly.

"T-thanks, Helios, Thetis...I'll miss you guys…" I sniffed and let go of him, kneeling down and opening my arms to the mudkip, who hugged me back. His body was kinda moist, but still very nice to hug. I heard Hazel giggle and go 'aww' from behind me. When we broke apart, I clutched the carving tightly in my paws and stepped back. "I-I probably shouldn't keep you guys away from your duties, so…I guess this is bye..."

"Your hospitality was lovely, lads, goodbye," Hazel smiled happily and shook both of their hands, happily taking a bag of food from Thetis. "C'mon, luv, new travels await us."

"Goodbye Matt, Hazel!" Thetis smiled and waved at us as we started to walk away. Ngh... _I was gonna cry…_

"Don't forget about us now!" Helios shouted as I started to cry quietly...I _hated_ goodbyes… "If you do, we'll come for you!"

"We won't!" The eevee giggled as we walked away, supportively wrapping her tail around my leg gently. A-at least I had her with me…

* * *

My crying mostly subsided as we got far away from the camp, the now warmer sun shining down on us. I had only realised the beauty of this area, the gargantuan mountain with the statue atop it stood proudly in the distance, dwarfing all the surrounding mountains around it. A gentle breeze blew on us as we traveled the path away from the encampment, the grass fluttering in the wind.

"Matt!" Hazel stopped at the side of the path, beckoning me over with a wave of her paw. She stood by some flowers with a big smile on her face. I kneeled by her to examine them. They were bright yellow with a tall green stalk, if I didn't know any better, I would say these were— "Daffies, Matt!" The eevee giggled. "Spring has sprung!"

"Well, springing," I took a closer look, picking one of the daffodils from midway up the stem and held it closely. "These are still young, still growing. See, they haven't fully opened up...but it's almost spring at least."

Hazel raised her brow at me as I twirled the flower in my paw.

"Natural born botanist, eh?" The fox smirked at me, staring at my flower with a slight squint. "Tell me something about it."

"They bloom from late winter to early spring, last for about six to seven months…" I studied the flower closely as gardening memories came back. "Popular perfumes are usually fragranced like daffodils...and in the language of flowers…" I held the flower out to her. Her brown eyes widened for a moment before tightening with her smiling mouth. "They represent 'rebirth."

"Rebirth, eh?" She took the daffodil from me and sniffed it before gently inserting it in the fur next to her left ear.. "A bit late for flowers, eh?"

"Late for what?"

"Remember when you wanted to tell me something in the cafe three days ago and I said 'what, no flowers?" She giggled. I smiled and nodded as I remembered. I was glad that I was back with her… she tilted her head so the flower "how do I look?"

"L-looking good to me..." I shuddered and blushed slightly, staring down at the flowers as my face burned. My eevee companion giggled, punched my leg and started walking. I followed meekly.

"Aww, thank you, Matty," she giggled and looked back at me with a big smile, a notable skip in her step. The sun shone on us, and she looked ecstatic that it did, her skip almost turned into a little dance in places as she basked in the afternoon sun, which I couldn't help but smile at. If she was having this much fun, I made sure to enjoy myself, even if my eyes were still wet because of Thetis and Helios. "Oh, by the way, Matty-o, we're heading west if you don't mind, I have a family member who could help us find my mum and dad! You alright with that?"

"Sure, I like sightseeing with you," I yawned, taking in the warmth of this large field. "Heh…'Matty-o…I like that."

"Thought you didn't like being called 'Matty,' Matty."

"It's growing on me, I wouldn't mind you calling me it more often…"

"Righty-o, Matty-o," she grinned at me as we walked side by side across the narrow dirt road. "You'll be a human again in no time, I promise."

We walked in a comfortable silence for about fifteen minutes, enjoying the sounds of the wind on the grassy plain, interrupted only by Hazel testing my botanical knowledge by pointing out every flower she could see. Not that I minded, I loved flowers! So did she apparently, because she kept picking them, mainly daisies; which she kept handing me when she needed to walk more, leaving me just holding a bunch of daisies. I wasn't too surprised that she could be a bit awkward...this seemed very 'Hazel…' I wondered for a moment as I stared at the flowers in my paws for am sec. I started chaining them together, which she didn't seem to notice. Satisfied with my work, I called her name, which she responded to with a smile.

"Here, this should be easier for both of us," I offered her the daisy chain, which she tilted her head at. "It's a human thing, here, lemme help."

I gently crowned her with the daisy chain. Almost immediately, she pulled a hand mirror from her bag and studied herself, her big brown eyes lighting up and her tail started wagging. She _definitely_ liked it.

"Ooh! It's pretty! You humans are ingenious!" She chortled and put her mirror away. "When we stop next, I'm interviewing you more."

"No objections from me…"

And with that, we continued our little adventure through the flowery fields. I took this moment to reflect on my current situation. This definitely _wasn't_ a dream...if it was, surely I should've woken up by now...was I in a coma? Could you dream in a coma…? Strange...I gazed at my riolu paws and scrunched my fingers a few times, watching as the light shone on the soft black pads on each one. I was only now starting to get fully used to these things. Even without any thumbs. Surprisingly, I had never noticed any issues with my feet, specifically the way I walked only on tip toes. At least I was still bipedal! Well, she seemed to be able to cope with four legs...then again, she was _born_ with four legs, I wasn't. After a while of reflection, we stopped again, at the edge of an old concrete road.

"Ooh, human road!" The eevee giggled and ran to a human-made signpost and reading it. "Vigrade, north, twenty miles...Castle Strong, southeast, forty miles…" Her eyes widened at the last destination. "Lunar Lake! West, fifteen miles! I've heard stories of this place, Matty! It's supposedly the most beautiful place in Gaia! We should go! You wanna?"

"Uh…" I rubbed my chin, vague memories of the lake coming back. Was...was I there before? It sounded familiar…I nodded my head and smiled gently, looking west across the human road, a sudden urge to visit the lake welling up within me. "Sure, lets go!"

"Righty-o," She smiled and skipped ahead. "It'll likely be dark when we get there, the days are still short, so."

With a nod, I followed the flower-clad fox closely as we traveled the long abandoned road.

* * *

 **Hazel**

After four-ish hours of walking, we finally reached the 'car park' of the lake which was filled with abandoned metal structures on wheels. Going under an old rusty gate, the concrete road was now replaced by a dirt path through a wooded area. I had butterfrees in my stomach as I read a sign saying 'welcome to Lunar Lake, Birthplace of the Moon Lord, please respect the ruins.' This was gonna be bloody cool!

The sky had started to darken, and the clouds were starting to clear. _That just made me even more excited!_ I looked behind me, seeing a quite clearly exhausted Matt, his eyes were heavy and he walked as if his feet hurted. I swore if I had to massage him again, hehe. We reached the end of the forested path and reached the banks of an absolutely _massive_ lake surrounded on all sides by wooded hills. The water was perfectly reflective and shimmered in the dying light of the day. _Wow_...marble ruins lay dotted on the flat areas of the lake. I was practically _drooling_ at the beauty of the place...

I turned and smiled at Matt, who seemed like he was in awe too. With a giggle, I skipped to the side of an old ruin and placed my bag down, taking out my teeny eevee sized tent. It'd be a tight squeeze with Matt, but I didn't mind. Even if he did appear to be a bit taller than other riolus. I placed the tent on the ground and pulled out my small telescope and set it up with its tripod. My riolu buddy stared at me with a strange look.

"What? Never seen a well prepared eevee before?" I winked at him as I peered at the sky through the telescope to see if it worked, which it thankfully did! I could see the clouds in great detail. Couldn't _wait_ for the stars and moons to come out! "Now, help me pitch our tent, Matty."

"I-it's a bit small, don't you think?" He mumbled as he picked up the support stick.

"We shared a bed when in Thetis and Helios' camp, it's only awkward if you make it awkward," I giggled. "Besides, I don't mind! N-not because of my riolu interest, hehe…" aaaaand I just made it awkward...heh…

After a short while, we set up our small purple tent. Looked cozy, and we set it up much faster than usual because of the extra set of paws. Satisfied with my work, I laid down on my back by my telescope and stared at the sky, which now had the occasional twinkle from the stars. I could faintly see the Silver Moon, but the sky was still too bright to see her smaller sister orbiting her sadly. Matt meekly joined me on his back, resting his head on his paws, laying his right leg over his left knee. Very casual. Very comfortable. I stared at him, and he stared at me. We exchanged looks for a few seconds before looking up at the darkening sky again.

"So," I started, staring at the moon. "Any progress with your memories, luv?"

"Just a few are coming back here and there…" the canine sighed, staring at the sky as more and more stars illuminated the sky like a thousand flying lanturns, his big hazel eyes lighting up and widening. He gasped slightly as a large band of stars became ever so visible. It was moments like this that made me appreciate him, he was like a lost puppy. I giggled and pointed out a constellation that looked like an Onix, four very bright stars in a snake-like band.

"Look, that's an Onix!" I smiled, getting close to him so I could point it out better. "It's always the easiest one to see in the night sky, they're always the brightest stars in the sky! Oh, oh! Look at that!" I pointed out a large, bright blue star. "Look closely, use the telescope if you need it! There's a small red star that's always right next to it! Look at how bright they are! They must be close!"

"Wow…" He gasped as he scanned every star he could. What was even luckier was that the clouds parted even more. "I could stare at this forever…makes me forget the weird situation I'm in." He chuckled.

"That _we're_ in, so long as I'm watching over you, I'm wrapped up in your storybook-like shenanigans too." I laughed with him.

"True…heh…" the riolu half chuckled and seemed a bit sad. "I don't even know why I'm here, but...I guess I'm enjoying it…minus that whole museum mess…"

"That was a bloody mess…" I shuddered. "Hopefully, we won't see them thugs again...anyway," I sidetracked, gazing at constellations and stars, wondering if any life existed beyond our humble little planet. If it did, I wondered what they'd be like and if we could ever meet them... "Glad to be on the road again? Matt, I certainly am~"

"M-mhm…" the ex-human sighed longingly, his eyes focused on a larger, orange star that astronomers deemed to be the closest star to us, even closer than the twin blue and red ones...somehow. "B-beats being lost, that's for sure…"

"Again, I'm sorry for hitting you, I still feel awful about that…" I frowned and stared down at my feet that pointed to the sky because of how I was laying in embarrassment.

"It's alright, Hazel...I'm not angry with you…" His voice, while characteristically nervous had a certain soft reassurance in it. Why did destiny put such a kindhearted and soft riolu on this world, seemingly delivered right into my paws. Was it coincidence…? Strange… "I can't be mad at you, you've done too much for me…"

"Do you even have an angry bone in your body, Mr Kind Riolu?" I giggled and stared at him.

"Hehe, nope…" he gave me a meek grin, adjusting how he laid down to get more comfortable, his tail accidentally brushing up against mine. "I can't stay mad for long…"

"Heh," I chuckled with a smirk and stretched a bit, letting out a huge yawn, showing my weariness. "Wish I had your temperament then...I'm an angry bitch—"

"L-language, Hazel…"

"Oh c'mon! I'm a female canine!" I playfully argued. "I'm only stating the facts!"

"Female Eevees are called, 'Vixens, y'know," He retorted with a raised eyebrow. Bugger, the timidly playful mutt had a point… "T-therefore, watch your language please..."

" _You calling me a vixen eh?"_ I playfully punched his shoulder, causing him to blush. "I wouldn't expect you to be so _forward."_

" _W-wha?! No, I mean—o-oh my goodness, look at the moon!_ " He suddenly gasped and jolted upright, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. The moons? Shifting my attention there, I saw something... _beyond words..._ peeking out from behind the large silver moon was her little sister, the much smaller Blue Moon...but something was different...it glowed a brilliant cyan, so bright it illuminated the side of the larger object. _Wow_...this was... _gorgeous._ I immediately jumped up to my telescope, pointing it towards the tiny celestial body. What I saw was something else entirely, craters and valleys were now highly illuminated on its surface, specks of ice dotting the poles of it...this glow...it was rare... _and I was alive to see it~_ I must have been the luckiest eevee in the world! "Wh-what's happening?!"

"It's time to party!" I giggled and let him look through the telescope as I stared at the moons with my own eyes. "The Jubilee is upon us! This only happens once every seven-hundred years!" I explained with a singsong tone, basking in the radiant splendor of the two moons. Rushing over to my bag, I withdrew an apple that Thetis gave me and ran over to Matt, splitting it in two and offering it to him. once he stopped looking through the telescope. He tilted his head at my offer.

"Typically, we share food with our closest friend when the Jubilee starts, just for symbolism or something."

"I-I'm your closest friend…?" He meekly took the apple half from me, staring at me with the same wide eyes. "T-thank you…"

"May the moons guide us to your truth, Matthew," I tapped his apple half with my own. He took the initiative and did the same, creating a full apple for a moment, before we both withdrew to eat, his hazel eyes meeting my brown ones. "And me to my parents."

"We'll be with them soon, travel buddy," He smiled and took a bite from the apple. I mimicked him gladly, enjoying the sweetness of the fruit as we basked in the moon's light. I'd remember this moment forever... I scooted close to my best friend, our sides touching as we sat. For once, I was entirely relaxed as we ate our apples together in a very comfortable silence. Admittedly, having him close by again was lovely. We stayed like this for a while, huddled up and cozy. I didn't even notice the piercing cold wind of late winter, space was just so _captivating!_ I even saw the stars and moons shimmer in the lake's reflection! This was so beautiful, I hoped and artist would paint this at some point…

We sat, observing the starry sky for...Arceus knew how long, bantering about the two moons, the stars and anything we could think of. If we had more food, I'd love to camp out here longer! Though, a sharp wind pierced my fur and sent shivers down my spine... _when did it get so bloody cold?!_ I stared at Matt for a moment, noting that he began shivering too. We exchanged a knowing look before staring back to our tent. Silently, we stood up, he picked up the telescope in case it rained. We crawled into my cozy tent, not minding the lack of headroom. I threw my pink blanket over to him again. He'd need it more than I did. Him and his thinner fur. I spun around a few times and laid down, using my bushy tail as a pillow as he cozied up in my blanket.

"Cozy, huh?" I asked with a grin, removing my ear daffodil and daisy crown. The riolu popped his head out from under the blanket, his aura tendrils flopping on his face, a smile on his muzzle.

"Yeah," he yawned, which sounded like a squeak. Hehe. Laying his head on his arms while laying belly down, he closed his eyes and sighed in relaxation. "I dunno if I've ever camped before, hehe.

"Glad to be your first camping partner, then," I smirked. "And I'm glad you're my first, it feels nice having some permanent company for once...that and you're presence would warm this tent up significantly in the cold~"

"Leech."

"Oi!" I playfully punched him gently. "Bloody cheek! Just remember that you're in _my_ tent!"

"I know," he smirked at me, flashing a rare show of confidence and playfulness. The quicker he came out of his shell, the better. "B-but I doubt you can think make me...I'm a fighting type and you're a normal, after all…"

"Touché, Matt, touché," We were both silent for a moment, before bursting into giggles. Though, mid laugh, he let out a huge yawn. "Bloody 'ell! You should get some sleep, luv!"

"I-I guess, I'm pretty tired I guess…" he shifted around and closed his eyes again, letting out a relaxed sigh. We should do this more often, _Hazelnut._ Goodnight..."

'Hazelnut?' Well well, guess he finally thought a nickname for me...I liked it! With a giggle, I got comfortable and looked at the half asleep riolu.

"Goodnight, Matthew," I purred and made light eye contact with his strangely endearing brown eyes. "Sweet dreams, luv."

"You too, Hazel...sweet dreams…"

These upcoming adventures were gonna be fun...especially as the Jubilee continues to shine over our planet!

* * *

 **Sir Bisharp**

I growled lowly as Aegislash and I cut jungle fauna out of the way as we tried to leave this accursed place...Hmph...I glanced behind and saw Pangoro on the lookout, cracking his knuckles after beating a feral tropius unconscious with his _bear_ hands for getting in his didn't look too amused...then again, _did he ever?_ Night was encroaching rapidly, the treescape growing ever darker. Hmph, I supposed we were going to spend another night in this humid hell...bah...

"Press onwards, Knights, we are almost out of this forsaken jungle…" Aegislash grunted, slashing a small tree out of the way, his singular eye fully recovered from the riolu's assault. "...at least, I _hope_ we are…"

"I swear, who put a bloody jungle here…?" Pangoro huffed, crossing his arms and giving us his biggest scowl.

"Arceus, the creator of all—" Aegislash bluntly responded as he cut a vine out of his way.

"Haha very funny," the panda sarcastically spat, scrunching his large nose in disgust. "Still, what's the plan about Gabriel? He hasn't even contacted us yet, could mean he's been captured."

"He's more cunning than that, I'm sure he-" Aegislash began before getting cut off by a familiarly light, sadistic voice. For heaven's—

"Bloody right I am," Gardevoir elegantly pushed out a bush, smirking as always, cradling a wild seedot and stroking it before letting it down. He smiled a sickeningly sweet smile as it ran away while he took his place next to pangoro, patting the large panda's shoulder. "I'm glad at least _someone_ was concerned about little ol me~"

"Sir Gabriel!" Aegislash's single eye widened, inspecting the androgynous Pokemon. "How did you get here?! And how did you make it this quickly?!"

"I followed the thoughts of our lovely panda friend," he smugly shrugged, flicking his fingers and teleporting his cape around his shoulders. "And you've been walking in circles for _days,_ Felicity Creek is four miles that-a-way." He pointed behind him.

So that's why everything looked so familiar...how embarrassing…

"The Astral Sanctuary is-" with a quick blast of concentrated psychic, he knocked aside foliage and obstacles behind us, creating a convenient path for us. "Ths-a-way. Let's carry on, gentlemen, we've got a lot of land to cover, and an angry police force behind us."

"Hmph, and what _exactly_ did you do to piss them off…?" I raised my brow inquisitively, tapping my hoof. "Well, knowing you…"

"Did you at least cause some chaos, Gabe?" Pangoro smiled cruelly, displaying his sharp teeth.

"Oh, you know it, chaos is what I do best, they'll be fixing those files for _days, ahaha_ ~" he raised a green arm to his mouth and giggled. Ugh, why did he have to be back…? "Got some lovely files that Starmie would enjoy~"

"Anything to lessen the rage of failing our mission…" our native sentient sword shuddered. "Because the lord will _not_ be happy..."

"Is he ever?" I shrugged and lead them into a large opening, revealing the sky, a sight long unfamiliar to us because of this _miserable_ jungle. Illuminating the sky were the two moons, shining brilliantly. _Especially_ the blue one...my mother told me about this, never thought I'd see it with my own two eyes...the _Jubilee_...

"Oh my, it's beautiful, ahaha~" gardevoir giggled and sat on a nearby log, admiring the sky with pangoro. For once, he was _actually_ right about something. His large companion simply grunted in acknowledgment. I walked over to the log and sat on it, my body ached…

"It is...this is not my first Jubilee, however," Aegislash shut his eye and silently prayed. "May fortune find us, under the allure of the Moon Lord!"

I sighed. I supposed our leader's intention and compassion about us was reassuring...in a way. I gazed at my misfit team of knights as they all stared upward at the night sky. Times were truly strange...but we had a mission to do, and I intended to see it all the way through. Prepare yourself for a rematch, _interloper._

" _Yo Booker, look at these trees!"_ A distant voice called. " _I think they went this way!"_

"Bloody hell, run!" Gardevoir quickly stood up and dashed into the brush. Fuck. I quickly darted after him, as did pangoro. Aegislash simply melted into the floor. "It's the bobbies that followed me!"

" _I heard voices, after em!"_

 _I would still have my rematch! My honour demanded it!_

* * *

 **Lana**

"...Do you see it…Lana...Martyn…?" Lord Starmie eerily asked as my husband and I took turns peering through the water type's telescope that was pointed to the Silver Moon. Peeking out from the side of the celestial object was her smaller sister, the Blue Moon, shimmering with blue light. It was gorgeous as always, glistening like a magnificent diamond in the night sky, glowing spectacularly because of the Jubilee.

"The Blue Moon, " I whispered and turned to the starfish as my Umbreon husband peered through the telescope after me. "Why do you want us to observe it…?"

"Because...it is the key…notice its unusual... _brightness..._ " Starmie grunted as he studied a wide variety of floating human books that floated around him. "When the small moon glows blue and the large moon eclipses the sun, the Jubilee begins, and the path to Lunaii is revealed…' as the legends...say…and if my predictions are correct...we have three to four months before the eclipse…"

"Lunaii?" Martyn turned to me and tilted his head, a look of confusion in his red eyes.

"The lost human city of legends…" I squinted at Starmie. "...is this why you have captured us?"

"Correct, the prophecy of Lunaii requires the presence of many specific... _things_...some of which, you two... _happen_...to be…"

"What's in the supposed city that you so desperately need…?" I squinted even harder as the scumbag studied his books. "Could it _possibly_ be worth the amount of effort that you're expending on it?!"

"I will give _everything_ I can in... _pursuit_...of the mystical city…" Starmie spoke lowly as his books floated to his sides so he could glare at Martyn and I. "That's the difference between _you_ and _I..._ Lana...you had dreams and ambitions for knowledge, progress for the future, but gave it all up for what? ' _Love?_ ' Ha...I won't make those mistakes, Lana. I will make progress. The secrets of Lunaii will enlighten me! The things I'll learn will make me _ascend_ to the heavens!"

"Listen to yourself, Starmie," I frowned and pitifully shook my head at the state of the 'Lord,' turning back to my husband and joining him at the telescope. "This will kill you if you go any further. Countless men and woman have died for less elusive secrets. Why are you so obsessed with this…?"

" _Hahaha_ …" Starmie cackled and turned away from us, plunging himself deeper into his literature. "...if they died, then they're _nothing_ like me, Lana. _Nothing…_ for I have something that will unlock these secrets... _behold."_

Floating down from the vast void above was a heavy looking brown book decorated with a blue rhombus on the front. _The Oracle…_

"This translated version of the human sacred texts were... _provided..._ to me by a very kind... _benefactor…"_ Starmie spoke in an extremely smug tone as all of his books floated away. The starfish approached the edge of his indoor spire, ready to dive into the murky depths of the water below. "This shall be the _linchpin_ of my operations...but for now, I must leave you...you may enjoy the telescope. Farewell."

He left by simply walking off the spire and falling into the darkness below, the only sound heard was the sound of splashing water as his books floated away into the void surrounding the spire.

"Twat," the umbreon huffed and shook his head, joining my side and staring at me intently. "What in arceus' name are we going to do?"

"Bide, he can't contain us forever," My eyes twitched as I stared into nothingness before slowly approaching the telescope, angling it away from the moon and to another point in the star system. I quickly entered Martyn's mind via telepathy. " _He still thinks we are at his will, but the eevee he keeps dangling in front of us isn't our Hazel."_

" _Poor idiot doesn't know that dittos don't replicate smells..."_ Martyn smirked as he stared into the eyepiece. " _Where is our daughter...have you seen her recently in your visions?"_

" _Of course. She's safe, somewhere between the nations…with the human."_

" _Thank the maker…I hope she hasn't overwhelmed him, she can be a bit...much."_ He chuckled.

I simply sighed happily as I looked at the next planet beyond our sun, the violet Gas Giant, Palkius. I yearned for my daughter, but as long as she was safe, I was fine.

" _We'll make it through this nonsense, one way or another. Just be patient."_ I assured him as we gazed into the night sky, slightly appreciative of how powerful of a telescope Starmie was equipped with…

* * *

 **Riley**

I peered down at the purple tent by the lake from a vantage point on the hill, seemed like 'Bluey was back was his friend. This was good for my case. Heh, as _if_ I'd hand them in now. Placing a paw on my hip, I turned my eyes to the moons. First human-turned Pokemon arrive, followed shortly by the 'Jubilee?' Strange things were indeed happening. I removed my sunglasses and stared at the glowing objects that orbited our planet, instinctively squinting my eyes at the light. I scowled at the glowing Blue Moon, then to the purple tent.

I never believed in destiny before... _but I did now._ I supposed the magnemite and gardevoir _didn't_ give me a time limit for my little task, so I could watch over 'Bluey for a little while longer, heh. Sneaking down the hill to their campsite and go their tent, I concentrated as hard as I could, closing my eyes tightly and feeling only the life force of the planet, I activated my aura vision to peer through the tent. Upon opening my eyes, the tent became see-through and I could see the flowing outlines of Matt and his eevee friend as my aura tendrils lifted. I wondered if he knew how to do this. Probably not. Took me a while…

The fellow riolu stirred in his sleep, likely dreaming about something. I felt a twinge of sadness as I examined him, he reminded me of someone close...part of me wished to spare him of my own skill... _but I needed a fight to remember_ …I sighed wistfully as my aura sight faded, revealing the beautiful and silent lake. I relaxed slightly, moments of quiet were rare. Though I doubted this would last, ol 'Bluey had some followers other than myself...ah well. Live in the moment they always said.

Removing my brooch, I stared at the blue gem encased within the engraved silver, then to the moons and gulped quietly. I had to prepare myself for whatever came next. However before I could reflect on anything more, the tent rustled slightly. Someone was awake. I snuck away by disappearing into the marble ruins where the 'Moon Lord' was apparently born.

 _Watch out, Matthew, things will get more difficult for you from here on out...the world is changing, and we need to change too..._

 **End of Chapter**


	11. Chapter 11: On Our Way

**Chapter 11: On Our Way**

 **Matt**

I gazed at my reflection in the lake, as I washed my face. This was me, huh? I accepted that this truly wasn't a dream by now, after having a dream about something or another last night. Was I the only human in history that had mysteriously become a pokemon? If so, then I must've been _really_ lucky or _really_ unlucky. Whatever the case, I was glad I wasn't alone again. I cupped a handful of water and brought it up to my lips, enjoying the refreshing cold it brought. From behind, I heard the tent rustle and open for my heavy sleeper eevee pal. It was _only_ midday, I was surprised she actually got up! She let out a squeaky yawn and took a seat next to me, washing her foxy face.

"Mornin, luv…" she tiredly greeted me, a light smile on her muzzle.

" _Annyeonghaseyo_ , Hazel—" I immediately placed a paw over my mouth as that just slipped out of habit...I could speak another language...? Hazel gave me a _very_ inquisitive stare. I gulped and chuckled. "I-it means 'hi,' hehe…"

"Riiiiight...a bit long for a simple greeting, eh?" She giggled. "I like it, you're full of surprises aren't you? You need to show more of yourself, Matty."

"Y-yeah…" I awkwardly chuckled and stared back at the water, blushing in shyness. I guessed I was still in my shell, even around her. I rubbed my face and took another long drink before standing up and doing some stretches. I didn't know why, but reuniting with Hazel, making friends in Thetis/Helios and getting some training done with Riley had really upped my mood. I felt _energised!_ I bent over and touched my toes before yawning and turning to my eevee friend. She sat comfortably on a nearby ruin, drawing something in a book while wearing a different set of glasses. I joined the fox and observed what she was drawing. Across the pages were many different doodles of Pokemon of all different kinds. Mainly eevees and their subsequent evolutions. But what garnered my attention the most was her current drawing; a riolu that took up nearly an entire page. "I-is that me?"

Her mouth widened into a smile as she moved her paw aside and showed me some writing by the drawing. Written in very purposefully neat handwriting next to the riolu was 'Matthew J. Wolfe,' which caused me to blush and grab my aura tendrils; causing a chill to go down my spine. She laughed and shook her head. She licked her paw and adjusted the hair between my ears into how it looked in the drawing.

"Don't be _too_ surprised, Matty," she smirked and studied me for a moment with her big brown eyes. "Something about your complexion and face makes you _very_ nice to draw and look at."

"H-huh…?" My face burned even more as she smirked at me. "A-are you making a _move_ on me…?"

"Might be," she winked before chuckling some more and drawing some more, lightly sketching my eyes. She stuck her tongue out as she drew. "I'm just telling you the truth."

"T-thank you…" I blushed and couldn't even make eye contact with her, I just stared at her drawing some more, basking in its accuracy to detail. She was talented. "Where did you learn to draw? It's really good!"

"Oh! Private tutors and stuff!" She simply explained.

"Private tutors?" I tilted my head at her. "Was your family rich or something?"

"I guess you could say that," she sighed and closed her book. She took a breath and spoke. "Matthew, I'm a—"

"Duchess of the Western Reach," we both recoiled back around in shock. Standing before us with inquisitive looks were Thetis and Helios. What were they doing here?! I would have hugged them, if I wasn't so shocked. Helios stepped forward and continued. "Hazel Rodrick of House Rodrick...why are you out here, Your Grace?"

Hazel scowled and nodded.

"There's your answer," she sighed and shook her head. "What are you two doing out here?"

"We uh…" The mudkip blushed and looked down. "...got orders from the very top telling us to retrieve you...turns out the General wants you in her custody for now, Your Grace…"

I couldn't help but stare at the eevee, I was traveling with a literal _Duchess?!_ I didn't even know how high of a rank that was but it was certainly impressive sounding! I couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by her rank.

"Don't call me 'Duchess," the noble fox frowned. "We're not in my homeland, so long as we're not there, I'm an equal. Okay?"

"I suppose so, your—" Thetis nodded before getting cut off.

"Don't call me 'Your Grace' either," she

added while pointing at Thetis disapprovingly. With one last sigh, she shook her head and smiled, hugging the mudkip as she did so. "Whatever the case, it's lovely to see you two again so soon."

"Yeah," I nodded in agreement and opened my arms for my charmander buddy; who hugged me back. I enjoyed the smooth warmth of his body. "I'm glad we didn't have to say a proper goodbye yesterday…"

Helios chuckled and let me go, patting my shoulder and peering out into the large, holy lake. The water sparkled brilliantly under the afternoon sun, almost blinding us with the bright reflections. We all joined him at the banks of the lake, silently observing the birthplace of the Moon Lord so holy. I took a short moment to honour the lunar god in my head, even if the memories of him were so distant and hazy to me.

"Look at the water!" Thetis laughed and dove in, splashing us. We all giggled as the cold liquid washed over us. Even Helios laughed, despite being a fire type. The mudkip poked his head out of the water and started backstroking along with a smile. "Water's lovely, guys, wanna swim?"

"What? And engage in heresy?" I chuckled and sat down, dipping my feet in. I cooed in satisfaction at the refreshing feeling. Hazel sat by me and inserted her forepaws in with me as Helios knelt by banks, splashing water about with a lazy claw. I relaxed and smiled, happy to be surrounded by my close friends. "At least, I _think_ it was heresy…"

"Well," the Charmander rubbed his chin and hummed. "The Moon Lord was a benevolent and kind god, from what I heard, and it's the _Jubilee,_ a holiday celebrating his Moon, so...can you nerds confirm this or am I speaking out of my ass here?"

"You're correct," Hazel answered him, sitting close by my hip with a know-it-all smile, adjusting her cute glasses with a free paw. "I'm an expert on this cultural shite, so I doubt the Moon Lord himself would mind...his _Luminaries_ on the other hand...sheesh…"

"Luminaries…?"

My aura tendrils lifted as voices whispered in my head, my stare becoming distant and blank, I kept my consciousness though, which was a change. The voices grew more distinct as a faint image appeared in my mind.

* * *

"— _And we will RISE into the heavens, unchallenged by the sins of the world!"_ A man's voice called loudly, his voice full of passion and zeal. I could make out the familiar setting of the Vigrade Cathedral, but it was pristine and well lit. Standing at the altar was the voice's owner. He stood tall, clad in cyan robes which were adorned with silver and sapphires. He wore a bird-like mask, obscuring his face completely. To his sides was an assembly of lesser dressed priests, their crossed arms hidden in their sleeves. The Luminaries. " _The time for ascension draws ever closer! We must devote ourselves to the Moon Lord for our inevitable ASCENSION!"_

His ranting and raving was manic, his arms waving and flailing like a bird's wings, matching his mask. Though he sounded mad to me, his followers were devoted and invested in his preaching. I had no comprehension about the words he spoke, it sounded insane to me.

" _O Devoted Followers,"_ The Grand Luminary raised his arms high, embracing the skies. His clergy mirrored his pose closely. " _We humans are the holy soldiers, the last bastion of purity in this sinful world! The Jubilee shall come, and the world shall be cleansed by our righteousness and justice! ALGALOSS!"_

Suddenly, everyone in the Cathedral repeated the phrase. I seemed nervous, but my brother nudged me hard in the side, causing me to join in with the seemingly holy phrase.

" _ALGALOSS!"_

That word repeated in my head for what seemed like forever, paired with several abstract images flashing in the aura. I saw a mural of the Moon Lord holding the Blue Moon, the Grand Luminary's mask, an espeon with glowing purple eyes, and finally, a Starmie in a haze of crackling lightning. Joined with the starfish was a discordant piano melody. All of a sudden, I felt my body rise and float.

Me, the Luminary, the Espeon and the Starfish all spoke in complete unison as an image of the twin moons flashed in front of me.

" _ **The Key to Lunaii is the Stone."**_

…

...Lunaii…?

…

...What was…?

...stone…?

...what was even happening?

* * *

" _Matty?! Please respond!"_

" _Yo, is this normal?! Do riolus do this?!"_

" _Dude, he's freaking me out…"_

The aura vision shattered and I was plunged into reality, my tendrils falling to the sides of my head. I sat back upright; however, Hazel sat on my lap with both her paws on my cheeks. Stood on either side of me were Thetis and Helios. They were rubbing my shoulders, the mudkip soaking me.

"Matty!" Hazel cried as her eyes met mine, taking me into a tight embrace. "Y-you ok, luv?"

"I-I'm fine, Hazel…" I meekly held her. "Just another aura _thing_ …"

"Man, you riolus," Helios rubbed his face stressfully. "Is that normal?"

"Dude, I don't think so," Thetis gulped. "His aura must be whack, you were speaking about Lunaii and Stones, What was that all about?"

I stared into space, at the two moons that vaguely poked through the blue sky. They looked up too.

"Lunaii…? That's the human city of legends…" Hazel added and broke the hug, jumping off me as Helios helped me to my feet. She rushed over to her book and skimmed through pages. "The Key to Lunaii…' I've heard that before... _Mummy…_ "

"Your mom?" Thetis added.

"Duchess Lana Rodrick," Helios whispered. "The one the Minutemon have been tasked in retrieving…"

A wide mix of emotions appeared our faces as we stood silently. It appeared that we were more connected than we initially thought. We all huddled close, our mouths opening and closing as if to speak, but no words escaped our lips. We just stared at each other, our fur and scales glistening in the afternoon sunlight. Hazel was the first to speak up.

"Matthew," her use of my real name caused a shudder. "Are you alright to speak about what you saw…?"

I stared down, trying to comprehend what I saw as my three friends watched me with worrying eyes. I gulped and shook my head. Hazel would understand, but those two wouldn't.

"W-was just an aura vision," I pretended to shrug uncaringly. The eevee shot me a knowing look, while the other two seemed to believe me. If it was just her, _maybe,_ but I would keep my mouth shut for now. "Normal riolu thing, have em a lot...don't worry…"

"I see," the Charmander nodded and peered out across the lake, his worried expression softening back into his usually jolly smile. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and laughed. "Well, whatever the case, glad you're alright pal. Should we get moving?"

"Nah, not yet, we need rest," Thetis interjected, sitting down by Hazel and rubbing his forepaws like they ached. How long were they following us…? I felt really bad for them. "Mind if we sit for a while?"

"Not at all, 'Thety—" Hazel said, but was quickly cut off by bellowing laughter from the Charmander.

" _Thety?!_ " Helios laughed heartily, withdrawing his arm from my shoulder to hold his stomach. Thetis visibly blushed and stared down. "Oh, 'Thety,' that's brilliant, Hazel. I should use that!"

"Oh great, thanks, Hazel," My mudfish pal rolled his eyes playfully, a red flush still decorating his blue face nicely. "Stop putting ideas in his head!"

"Too late, _Thety,"_ Helios chuckled and lounged on a rock, crossing one leg over the other. His sky blue eyes happily looked up at the clouds, his face relaxing into that of content. He whistled a little tune before staring at us three "so, what's on our agenda while we're here? Cuz I'm already bored of sitting around."

His face dropped we he saw Thetis and Hazel already pulling books out of their bags. He shook his head and sighed.

"Complete and utter dorks. The lot of you," He shook his head and reclined, resting his hands on the back of his head while looking to me with a relaxed grin. "Don't tell me _you're_ gonna pull a book out of your bag there, Matthew."

My arm was already elbow deep in my bag, fingers wrapped around the riolu book's spine. I quickly unhanded it and took out the sawsbuck carving Helios had gifted me while I took a seat next to the lizard. I meekly held the deer as if it were a holy treasure, smiling as I examined it closer.

"This is really cool, Helios," I chuckled and played with the wood carving as he watched on proudly. I grinned and pointed out some of the details I liked, specifically the antlers. The stag he made seemed very majestic and proud. I wondered if he painted these at all, that'd be awesome. "How long do these usually take to make?"

"An hour or so depending on what I'm making," He shrugged and rummaged through his bag, retrieving a very impressive, if unfinished charizard. He handed it to me, I held it delicately and with great care. It was _much_ larger than mine. The sculpture showed a proud dragon, standing tall with outstretched wings. It was truly draconian. I checked a little carved plaque at the bottom. '#1 Dad!' it read. Aww. Must have been his 'ol dad. Upon closer inspection, the charizard wore a similarly goofy grin to Helios. "Like father like son, eh? I can't wait to be a charizard. I'm gonna _soar._ What about you? Can you wait to evolve? Lucarios are pretty awesome, super rare though."

I froze after handing the statue of his dad back. Evolution? Would I even evolve? I was a human, after all...well, at least my _soul_ was human. Did that fact cancel the evolution process? Strange…

"I guess," I gulped, imagining myself as a tall, strong and powerful lucario. I cooed at the thought. I wish I was a bit taller, I felt like a pipsqueak. Dad and my brother were really tall, hopefully I got their tallness in a few years. "Lucario _are_ pretty awesome."

"Damn right they are," Helios punched my arm and glanced into my bag, noticing my riolu book and quickly pulled it out, skimming over it with curious blue eyes. He skimmed through the pages, only really staring at the pictures. "Oh nice, human book! Now this is a cool-not-nerdy book. Wanna read? Always wanted to know about aura abilities."

"Sure!" I smiled as he handed me the book. I skimmed through the pages to the abilities section. I read aloud the contents. "A riolu, while innocent and cute—' not wrong with me, hehe, 'harbours great potential and power in that blue body. With quick learning abilities and sharp minds, you need to be especially wary of their aura powers."

"Yeah, riolus can be nasty buggers," Hazel added from over her book. "Trust me, I've got riolu cousins back home."

"They noble too?" Thetis asked with a tilt of his head.

"They're not Rodricks, they're Foxs, like my dad! They're going to be legionaries one day, like my uncle," she nodded and put her book down, sitting at the foot of the rock Helios and I were on. Thetis joined her and they both stared at me expectantly. "Go on, o reader. _You_ need out of that shell."

"Yeah! Continue!" Helios laughed and joined those two on the ground. I gulped at the six eyes staring at me. Although I was nervous, they were right. I needed this. "You can do it, Matt!"

"A-alright. I can do this," I cleared my throat and continued. I never knew they were _this_ interested in the biological abilities of me. "Ahem, 'a riolu and its subsequent form, lucario, has the ability to manipulate and use the _aura,_ this skill of theirs allows them to unleash some supernatural skills,"

My eyes widened at that fact. _I could use supernatural powers?_ Darn, riolus must've been uncommon!

"Such powers include; Aura Sphere; a concentrated orb of pure aura, devastatingly powerful, though very hard to learn as a riolu," I tilted my head and eyed the diagram of the canine channeling an orb between his paws. Placing the book down, I mimicked his stance while continuing to read. "Typically, they channel their abilities through slow breathing and meditation."

Meditation, huh?

I sucked in air and held my breath for a moment, trying to clear my mind even with my three friends watching me. All I could focus on was the rippling sounds of the water as it danced in the breeze. I felt my tendrils flutter delicately, followed by a swirling sensation in the air between my hands. However, my mind drifted off to other subjects. Specifically the family I longed to see. As soon as these thoughts occured, I felt something. The distortion started off slow and gentle like a subtle gust, but quickly started feeling more erratic and hot on my hands. My hands began to shake as energy built up more and more. It felt uncontrollable. As it started to burn my hands, I hissed and opened my eyes, seeing a tiny blue orb of light manifesting in my grasp. Even at such a tiny size, it felt powerful. My arms shook and my breathing grew to gasping with panic. I didn't like this. Helios, Hazel and Thetis all stared at me with varying levels of shock. Without warning, the orb exploded, sending a shockwave out that sent all of us flying back. I was launched into a nearby bush with my book. Ow…

I pushed myself out slowly and climbed onto my feet, searhing myself for any injuries. I wasn't cut out for this superpower stuff…

Thankfully I was unharmed. I ran over to my friends in a panic. Thankfully they were ok, minus Helios, who landed near nettles. Oh no…

I rushed over to him and helped him up onto his feet. He dusted himself off and hissed in pain as his right knee was bright red with irritation. I cupped my mouth and gasped as I inspected the injury.

"H-Helios! I'm so so sorry!" I cried, tears forming. I couldn't help but kneel to inspect the injury. It wasn't very large, however it looked painful as all heck. I couldn't believe I hurt my friend… "oh god I'm so sorry, there has to be dock leaves around—"

"Dude, it's fine, I've had worse," Helios smiled at me gently. "Pretty cool light show though, even if it does sting. Hehe."

I cursed the aura under my breath. Was it _only_ used for fighting?! If that was the case I didn't want to use it! As I was mentally destroying the aura, I felt it resonating in my forepaw pads. What the…? The four black pads of my left hand glowed a gentle blue, a strange, serene feeling joining it. What was this? As if instinctively, I lifted Helios' leg up by the foot with my free hand and gently pressed my glowing hand against his rash. He hissed at the contact and my tendrils began to float. The pain in his face seemed to vanish completely as I removed my hand from the affected area. To everyone's surprise, the rash was mostly gone!

"Yo," Helios' eyes widened as he examined his now pristine knee. "What did you do? The pain is gone!"

"Dude, that's awesome!" Thetis chuckled and ran over, inspecting my handy work as I sat on my knees. "So what is that like a heal pulse?"

"Aura heal," Hazel conformed and grabbed my paw with hers. Her paws lightly felt my glowing pads. "Think about me, Matty, think about me getting hurt."

I remembered the eevee getting kicked into the car by the bisharp. She was hurt pretty badly. I shuddered and stared at her pretty face. She was my first friend here. She was my best friend and I considered her family. I _didn't_ want her getting hurt. To my surprise, my paws glowed brighter.

"Just as I thought," she nodded proudly while still holding my hand. I blushed at the contact as she made eye contact. "Matty, your mental constitution gives you the ability to heal!"

"Heal, huh?" I stared at my paws with wide eyes. "I-I guess I could practice this more."

"Natural born field medic huh?" Thetis chuckled and examined my handy work, cooing at the lack of any nettle rash on Helios. He smiled widely at me. "Thanks, Matt. That power will be handy."

After a few minutes of silence, Hazel began packing up her tent, signaling that it was time to go. I helped her pack everything away neatly, leaving us four on the banks of the lake, as bare and abandoned as we found it. We appreciated the gorgeous view for a few moments until we had a plan.

"Alright," Helios clapped his hands and consulted his map, scanning the southmost sections of the continent. He pointed to a flatland between some mountains. "Castle Luxray is here, we're not that far, we're right here!"

He pointed to a lake.

"That's about a hundred miles away," Thetis added with a nod. "Brace yourself for a day or two of walking."

"I can handle it," Hazel smiled with beaming eyes and with a big smile. She looked over to me. "Can you, Matty?"

'Matty,' something about the way she called me that felt so warm and genuine. I could see her face soften and relax every time she looked at me. She did think I was attractive. I remembered my experiences with the brown fox. She was the most invaluable friend someone like me could have. I gave her the biggest smile I could muster.

"We can handle anything," I grinned widely. "We've seen worse than a little walking, Travel Bud. Oh! I mean—"

I knelt down and smiled playfully at the eevee Duchess.

" _Your Grace, Hazel."_

"Nicely said, Matty-boy." She smirked and kept me kneeling by placing a paw on my shoulder. "Since you're getting all formal with me, o riolu of many strange visions, with our audience, I hereby declare you my squire under noble decree."

"A-a squire?!" I stammered and stood up as my buddies began laughing. "C-can you do that?!"

"Yes! I have the power to do that! This title isn't just honorary! I could make you a knight if I damn well please!" She gave me a monstrous grin. "And since you kneeled, you submitted, meaning I have authority here, so, congrats, Matthew Wolfe _Esquire_ , enjoy your promotion!"

Her grin became friendly as she bopped my aura tendrils and laughed.

"Don't worry, Travel Bud, I won't make you do menial squire stuff."

"Well well," Helios shook his head in amusement. "If you two noblemen are done, let's get moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

I felt like I was gonna faint. I guess I was a higher rank in a feudal system.

"He's right," I stood up with a smile and made eye contact with Hazel, my voice softened. "Thank you Hazelnut, I'm so honoured in becoming your squire...I dunno what to do, but I'll try my best!"

"Saps," Helios grinned. "I suppose taking a Duchess and a squire to a castle is only fitting."

"I feel like such a peasant now," Thetis faux grumbled as we started walking down the concrete roads. "Can we get promoted too?"

"I dunno lads, I'd have to speak with your superior officers about that, promoting you two would undermine their powers!" Hazel giggled.

"Damn."

"Let's get outta here, Your Grace and your...squire-ness," Helios walked ahead with his hands behind his head. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, and the General does _not_ like to be kept waiting!"

"Race you lot to the exit!" Hazel laughed and ran ahead quickly. "Snooze you lose!"

"Yo! Get back here! I'm not losing to _you_!" The Charmander shouted and chased after her, leaving Thetis and I casually walking towards the exit.

"So I guess we lose huh?" The mudkip smirked. "Ah well."

"Hehe, slow and steady wins the race, Thetis. We can take in the views."

"Quite right, buddy. Quite right."

We chuckled together as we slowly followed our partners, bracing ourselves for the inevitable roasting we will receive from Helios and Hazel.

But even as we left, that vision repeated on loop in my head. I had never had one quite like that…what was it…?

* * *

 **Hazel**

"Alright, fellas," Thetis eyed the forest before us, the late afternoon sun shining over us. He turned to us three with a serious face, consulting the map in his flippers. "This is the Bypass Forest, it's a mystery dungeon, _however_ if we cut through here, we'll save a few hours of the journey, as this cuts right through the mountains. Convenient, eh?"

"Let me guess, there's a catch?" I asked.

"Ferals, as per usual, they love hanging out in em," Helios answered for me, still rocking that happy-go-lucky smile he always wore. "But I think we can handle ourselves. Matt is the _Feral whisperer_ after all!"

"Feral Whisperer?" I turned to the riolu, who gave me a nervous grin and scratched the back of his head.

"L-long story." He chuckled and cleared his throat. "I'll be the team medic!"

"Thetis and I will be the escort, we'll pave the way for her Grace and His Squire-ness," Helios held his claw out. "Sound like a plan?"

"Aye aye, sir!" His fishy friend placed his hand on Helios'. "What about you two? Ready?"

"R-roger that, privates," Matt gulped and put his hand on theirs. "I-I can do this!"

"Look at you cliche saps," I shook my head and sighed at their sappy display, as well as their teasing of my noble status. I was the last to put my paw on the pile. "Ready!"

"Right!" Helios smiled widely. "Leeeeeeet's-"

He stared at us expectantly. Oh!

" _Leeeeeeeeeet's GOI"_ We all cheered in unison as we ran under the dark green canopy of the forest, laughing all the way.

The forest was dark and maze-like, with moss and fungi on near every surface. If I wanted to be a leafeon, I knew where to go. Though dark and eerie, I felt little fear. This was _nothing_ compared to the wetlands of my home. Thetis and Helios lead the way, Helios using his burning tail as a makeshift torch. Handy! We as stuck close to him for the light. Matt seemed a tad uneasy, he had drawn his knife and was clutched it tightly in his right paw. He almost looked quite intimidating and strong...Well, until he tripped over a vine and landed face first in a bunch of ferns.

"I-I'm ok!"

"Careful, Matty!" I chuckled and helped him up onto his paws. He said his thanks and blushed at me. So sensitive.

I stared up at the trees as they danced in the wind, beams of sunlight struggling to penetrate the leaves' shade. It was rather...serene. Even if whatever god of chaos cursed this forest with their randomness. I spotted a feral deerling with its parents wandering around. I readied myself for an encounter, but upon noticing us, the little deer family fled. I reminded myself that the ferals were just wild were rather cute though. Kakuna and metapod hung from branches and the occasional butterfree flew by. Any beedrill we saw, we avoided them like the plague. Getting stung was not our priority.

"For a mystery dungeon, this place is pretty tame," Thetis commented as he watched a caterpie wriggle along a fallen log slowly. It looked at him for a moment, before continuing on its merry way. "Did we get lucky?"

"Common stigma that all of em are bad," I shrugged and looked around while perched on an old stump. This place was beautiful! I'd draw a picture, but I didn't have time nor any green or yellow pencils on me. The cold wind flowing through didn't even bother me too much. It reminded me of the forest I met Matty in. How was he doing anyway? I noticed him by a tree, whistling and trying to beckon over a sawsbuck. And failing. It was looking over at him, though. "Hehe, what're you trying to do?"

" _Psst, pass me an apple or some berries, slowly,"_ He whispered quietly.

Not being one to disappoint, I handed him an apple, which he held out at arms length. This did not go unnoticed by the stag and our scout buddies. The sawsbuck stared for a few seconds before slinking over, accepting the offer. It stood tall above us, but it was majestic rather than scary. We were still and silent at the beautiful deer pokemon, its winter forme starting to change into spring. It sniffed the apple and slowly ate it off of Matt's flat paw. The awestruck riolu slowly lifted his other paw, showed it to the deer pokemon and rubbed the side of its muzzle. The stag shut his eyes and made a gentle coo as Matt petted him. I was a mixture of stunned and impressed He really was the 'Feral Whisperer.'

"Aww," Matt laughed as the deer finished eating and licked the riolu's paw. He turned to us with a very happy face."Wanna pet him guys?"

I didn't even hesitate, I ran over and stood up on my haunches, offering the deer a paw to sniff. Once it knew I was a friend, it let me stroke its chest. It was luxurious and fluffy! Here we stood, four teens stroking a wild sawsbuck. This was the life! Matt was pretty amazing sometimes, I've never met such a compassionate and kind pokemon before; let alone a human turned pokemon!

Once thoroughly petted, the sawsbuck looked around, licked Matt's paw and stared off in a certain direction. It then looked back at us, then back to that same direction. Was it showing us where the exit was? Feral pokemon were rather smart after all...

"Thanks, Sawsbuck!" Our charmander buddy chuckled and began walking to what was apparently the exit. "That was fun!"

Note to self, be like Matt around the ferals.

We wandered the forest for roughly an hour, observing the machinations of a mostly undisturbed dungeon and how all the non civilised pokemon coexisted with each other. Some lived in harmony like the sawsbuck and bulbasaurs, others clashed in territorial disputes like the beedrill and butterfree. They weren't too different than us civilised folk in retrospect. It's just we acted like we were more civil because we fought for banners and kings. I frowned. Did we really have to fight or hurt each other? I imagined a world without conflict or crime, where uncertainty about the future didn't exist. It was a beautiful sight. It was my dream to build this world when I ascended to the Grand Duchess of my house. But for now, I would fight to see Mummy and Dad released. They were alive out there. I'd be with them again.

My stride became more confident as I marched past my friends and began leading them to the exit, determined to get to the Minutemon HQ, with their help, I'd definitely see my Espeon and Umbreon parents again. My pace was so brisk and powerful that the three boys had to jog to catch up to me. I had my friends, squire and Noble House behind me. I felt like the most powerful eevee on Gaia, (partly because I was) like nothing could stop me! Watch out, World, Hazel Rodrick Fox was coming!

 _I was on my way to a more glorious future!_

With a hearty laugh, I lunged out of the forest proudly, flying through the air as petals and leaves flew with me. I could see the sky once again, as well as the open fields of Cosma. I landed on my paws proudly and jumped around to observe my teammates stumbling out of the woods less gracefully than I did. I grinned and stared up at a hill in front of me.

"Catch up, lads!" I giggled and wagged my tail as they brushed leaves and other such foliage out of their fur and scales. "I could go on for _miles!"_

"Geez," Thetis puffed, his fins drooping with exhaust. "I thought we were escorting _her,_ not vice-versa!"

"Hehe, she's good at running ahead, no containing you, is there, Hazelnut?" My bestie smirked and huffed.

"Nnnope!" I laughed out loud and stared up at a large hill with a singular, tall oak tree atop it. My grinned widened.

"Don't tell me-" Helios was about to speak, but I cut him off.

"RACE YOU SLOWPOKES TO THE TOP!" I darted ahead, laughing maniacally as those three desperately chased after me. Needless to say, _I won._

* * *

We sat under the proud oak's shade to rest, overlooking the Great Plains of Cosma as the sun began to set over the horizon. We couldn't help but stay mostly silent as we watched. I shot a smile at Matty, who seemed relaxed and a tad sleepy from all our journeys. I leaned into my best friend a bit, enjoying his comfort as he was here. My eyes skimmed over the distant forests, hills and mountains that decorated the bright green fields. Though I yearned for the west and my parents, (as well as the lavish cheeses our status could afford.) I felt a certain contentedness with my three pals. I shot a glance over to the mudkip and charmander; who sat as close together as Matty and I.

As if he saw me staring, Helios wrapped an arm around Thetis' shoulder, pulling him close to his side. I raised a brow at them, what were they up to? By this point, Matt had noticed them as well and looked on curiously with wide brown eyes. As Thetis blushed and looked down, Helios smiled wider.

"What? Delcatty got your tongue?" The reptile shot us a cheeky grin.

"Well, no, but," I raised an eyebrow at the two as suspicion rose in my mind. I licked my lips and smirked at them. "Are you two an item?"

"Ding ding, you got it!" Helios let out a hearty laugh gave me a thumbs up. Seeing no reason to stay private, Thetis cuddled up to the Charmander.

"Ha! I knew it!" I joined him in laugher.

"What gave us away?" My book buddy sniggered.

"You two have good chemistry, and the way you look at each other," I gave them my best coy smile I could muster. "That and the way you slept in the same bed that one night set off a few flags, heh. Whatever the case you two are adorable."

"Thanks, Hazel," Thetis smiled warmly as he received a peck on the head from Helios. I couldn't help but internally squeal at them. "We've been a thing for years."

"Aww," the riolu stared at them adoringly. "I didn't even think you two were a thing, heh."

A comfortable silence hung over us as we admired the view of the flats, the dying daytime light sparkling on a nearby giant lake. From what I was told, the HQ was just at the other side of that lake. We were so close! Even if we still had about a day of walking left. I looked to my side but I quickly averted my gaze when I noticed Thetis and Helios smooching. Letting them have their privacy, I turned to the sleepy riolu huddled up to my side and spoke up.

"Matthew, that language you spoke earlier," I quietly asked. He looked at me with tired brown eyes, a curious smile on his face. I hushed even more. "Is that a human language? I've never heard it before.

"Korean," He nodded. "I...I dunno why I know it yet, but I don't even need to think to speak it, it's natural or something."

"I see…" I nodded back understandingly. "Well, say something in it-ooh! Write it down too!"

I quickly gave him my sketchbook and a pencil. He stared blankly for a moment, and as if he had just remembered something emotional, he spoke.

" _dangsin-eun bichnaneun byeol-ibnida_..." He whispered with a wavering voice. "You are a shining star…' Mom..."

He handed me my book with wet eyes. Underneath the drawing of him, there was a phrase in a strange writing I didn't know and a translation.

' _당신은 빛나는 별입니다'_

"Hazel…" Matt stared at me with desperate eyes that were filled with happy, yet sad tears. "I think that's what my Mom called me…"

I held his paw and squeezed it.

"Don't worry luv, this'll all come back to you soon, don't worry," I gave him a brave smile. "You don't have to be alone, I'll be here for you every step of the way. Those visions of yours are a good thing, your mind is coming back to you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, a hug which he returned. We cuddled silently for some time, until we heard Helios whisper.

" _Yo, are they a thing too?"_

* * *

 **Sir Bisharp**

We stumbled into the desolate and abandoned stone halls of the Astral Observatory, covered in mud, dirt and other such grime. I could barely keep myself upright, I resorted to falling back against and old, moss-covered wall to support myself, else I'd collapse. I looked around at the all too familiar and miserable converging point the Starfish Lord had picked. It was just as dreary and miserable as him, I supposed. I pushed my feather around with my tongue and sighed as Sir Gardevoir decided to stand by me, his face devoid of that irritating smile, thank the maker.

"Ugh, talk about a _miserable_ escape, not at _all_ what I'd call a flashy getaway, tsk. He brushed his ragged and poorly maintained hair out of the way.

"Hmph," I scoffed and shut my eyes, resting my hoof against the wall and crossing my arms. "Be grateful we're still here in one piece, _Gabriel."_

" _Gene_ , as much as I think you're funny and adorable, you can be a bit... _Gloomy."_

I huffed and ignored him. His words were just a petty excuse to irritate me. It is what he excelled at, after all.

"What matters is that we at least escaped our pursuers," the living sword sighed and lazily dropped his shield, a metal clink sounding as it hit the old stone floor below. It didn't even bounce. "Let us just regain our composure for a moment...have any of you even _slept_ since the museum?"

I flinched at the mere _mention_ of that horrendous incident. My honour...how could I have lost to some riolu runt?! I clenched my fists as the memory of getting humiliated by that human-turned-abominations played out on repeat in my mind. I growled under my breath.

"Not a wink," I hissed and stared down, only now taking note of how exhausted I was. My eyes were heavy in their sockets, ready to start watering at any moment. I sighed and let myself fall into a sitting position. "How long has that been, three days now?"

"Give or take," Pangoro growled, poorly drying his soaked and muddy fur. "Can only 'ope that that eevee and riolu is suffering as much as we are, hmph."

"Whatever the case," Aegislash somehow gulped and approached an ancient fountain I was still unaware of how it worked. "We need to contact Starmie, after that, we can only _hope_ for some sleep."

"Yeah, if he somehow doesn't execute us from across the continent," I scoffed and rolled my eyes, curling up into a ball and resting my head on my knees. "Expect the worst."

"Always so pessimistic, 'Sharpy," gardevoir prodded my metal head. My eyes twitched. "I'm _sure_ he'll reward us with flowers and cakes!"

His venomous tone was full of exhaustion and spite.

"That's enough, I'm contacting him now…" Aegislash shuddered and activated the fountain, the water of it glowing like nothing else. I braced myself and stared coldly on as an image of Starmie appeared, floating above the water.

" _I can only...imagine...that your mission was successful?"_ Lord Starmie's voice was flat and cold, all shred of emotion or personality absent. His sterility always unnerved me. " _Though, might I...enquire...about why this mission took so long? My calculations suggested you would be finished a day ago. Explain."_

A think tension suddenly arose between us as we all stared at each other. None of us had the nerve to tell him. Failure did not compute in his awful gem. Being our leader and admittedly more courageous than any of us three, Aegislash floated forward and looked down.

"We…" the sword sighed deeply and sharply. "We failed our mission, my Lord…"

The piano that Starmie telekinetically player ceased immediately, his gem flickering quickly, _burning_ with rage.

" _You…"_ he growled quietly before roaring. " _FAILED?!"_

We all physically flinched at him.

" _How?! How could you four-my most prized elites…"_ Starmie spat venom. If he had any eyes with which to glare, he'd definitely be glaring. " _...how could you fail such a menial task?! We only have three months to succeed in our plan, lest we wait another seven-hundred years! Hadn't you four been so far and so important, I would have all of you executed on the spot!"_

We couldn't even bare to respond, he just continued to berate us for what felt like a short eternity before continuing.

" _We're lucky we at least have some time on our hands,"_ Starmie hissed. " _I can pinpoint the Interloper's location again. By my calculations, he could not have gone far. His legs and energy consumption are grossly...inefficient…did you see any sign of a gemstone in his possession?"_

We all stared at each other before shaking our heads.

" _Hmm...must be...concealing it…from us…"_ he hummed, his gemstone pulsing gently as his piano began playing. " _...anything else to...report?"_

"I believe the daughter of our little prisoners is traveling with him. Adolescent eevee, bad language, western accent," Gabriel spoke up while twiddling his hair. "I learned this through snooping around, and I believe I have also found the location of the Minutemon headquarters. I understand that you despise them?"

Starmie was silent for almost a minute.

" _...capture the eevee immediately, I believe her parents have caught on to our...decoy…and as for your discovery,"_ Starmie cooed in delight. " _Excellent work, I wish to speak with you in private. Pangoro, Bisharp, Aegislash. Leave us until further orders are provided."_

"Yes," We bowed in unison. "My Lord."

We left the communication chamber into a dank hallway, however, we didn't speak much. We all went our separate ways to find private areas to rest. I marched down and found the comfiest looking corner of the hall, unclipping my sword from my belt and pulling out a small blanket from my bag. It wasn't much, but it would do. I huddled against the wall and closed my eyes. At _least_ I had shelter. I wished I could be back in my room with my comfy bed. But 'duty first,"' as Aegislash always said. I sighed weakly as exhaustion got the better of me. As I faded into sleep, I silently cursed that riolu who hurt my honor. I would reclaim it. He'd see.

For once, sleeping against a stone wall seemed like luxury…

 **End of Chapter...**


	12. Chapter 12: A Moment to Breathe

**Chapter 12: A Moment to Breathe**

 **Matt**

We had since moved on from the tree on the hill after waking under its shade, walking across the banks of this huge lake. We set off at dawn, even if it took a fair bit of shaking to wake little Ms Duchess. Only Heaven knew why she was such a heavy sleeper. Every day, the weather seemed to get better and better, I was looking forward to seeing spring proper.

Thetis and Helios led us to the castle, as fast as our small Pokemon legs would allow. I missed having the height of my human body. I felt like a small, furry blue shrimp. I peered up and the great sky above, feeling content at the amount of white clouds in the sky. We were in for some decent weather. I sighed and noticed Hazel whistling a happy little tune as she skipped along the old human road. How a fox could be so lazy and energetic in the span of about an hour was beyond me. My noble pal was as much of an enigma as I was.

In the far distance, atop a hill by the lake was the outline of an old castle. That must've been Fort Luxray. So close, yet so far. So alien, yet…so familiar? It was strange, a feeling of deja vu filled me as I thought of the castle. Did I visit it as a human? I anticipated our arrival as we walked through a hilly area filled with tall juniper trees. It was a beautiful area, I couldn't help but smile and take it all in.

"Y'know, back in the palace I lived in," Hazel began with a gentle smile aimed towards me. I curiously listened to what she had to say. "In the courtyard was this bloody huge juniper, planted by one of my ancestors. I always loved that thing, staple of my life since I was a kit. Always climbed it and relaxed under its branches to read. Bloody reliable tree, reminded of it by this forest. Always loved junipers. Once we reunite with Mum and Dad, I'll take you there, to my palace."

"Aww, Hazel," I blushed and smiled. "Thank you."

I relaxed somewhat and stared at my foxy friend. Of all the people I have met, I first met _her_. An eevee who was full of charity and love. I truly felt safe around her. I looked forward to visiting her home. I thought I lived in luxury as a human, but she lived in a literal _palace._ Rich girls. I rested my hands behind my head and sighed as we got closer to our destination. I wanted a good place to sit down and read my book on military strategies.

Basking in the warm sun, we proceeded through the juniper forest, bantering with our two lovebirds, who seemed to like this adventure as much as us. I internally debated whether or not to reveal my true species to these two fellas. I trusted them a huge amount, but...I didn't know how they'd react to my true state. I had no idea if they were as well educated or as accepting as my eevee companion. I shook my head. I left that information for when we got to that distant castle.

"So, Matt, Hazel," Thetis began with a smile and looked back towards us. "How'd you two meet? You seem like you're very close friends!"

"We are, Thety!" My foxy friend laughed heartily and nuzzled my hip. I responded by grinning and petting her head, eliciting a chuckle from the water type. "We met on a crossroads just south of Felicity Creek almost a week ago, since then, we've become BFFs, haven't we Matthew?"

"Inseparable, until the very end!" I laughed as she stood up and wrapped a paw around my back as I did the same with her. We leaned our heads into the others. (even if her head barely reached my shoulder.) we stayed together for a moment before giggling to ourselves and carrying on with our journey. "She's the best friend a riolu could ask for."

"Aww, thank you, Matty," she giggled. "And your the best friend an eevee could ever ask for!"

I blushed and held my aura tendrils. She was too kind…

"How about you lads?" Hazel continued and walked up to the two lovers. I joined her and imagined how these two came together and fell in love. "You seem like you have an interesting story behind you!"

"Well, it's a _long_ story," Helios chuckled with a big grin. "Seventeen years in the making!"

"How old are you two?" I tilted my head.

"...seventeen." The mudkup responded with a cocky smirk. "We're a month apart in age!"

"So we met when we were both hatchlings," The Charmander gazed lovingly at Thetis with gentle blue eyes. "Since then we've been best friends for life...well, now we're something a bit _more._ Ain't we, babe?"

"Yup," Thetis nuzzled Helios' leg. I blushed and looked away. Even from over here, I could feel the love radiating from the two. "As you can see, I have a _lot_ of patience if I can put up with _him_ for this long."

"Love you too, Thetis," Helios winked. "Anyway, I'd say we'd be at the castle in maybe...three to four hours? We're really killing this journey. Good legs for a Duchess and her squire, no offense."

"None taken," her Grace chuckled and shook her head. "Race you three to the castle!"

And with that, she ran ahead again. As per usual, she left us chasing after her. Thetis is we right on her tail, while we bipeds jogged begins, not nearly as fast as them.

* * *

We made it to the base of the huge, proud castle in record time. The stone walls stood high atop the hill. Standing even taller were the keep and its four huge towers. This place was a _fortress_ if I ever saw one. Sentries of all species stood atop the battlements, ready for any kind of attack. The main road to the entrance had a small town surrounding it, where military persons lived. The whole area around the hill was flat and without forests or cover. The inner historian within me gave massive props to the location of this fortress.

On either side of the first gatehouse's portcullis were bright yellow banners with a depiction of a black/cyan lion's face in the centre. They blew gently in the breeze. Atop the gatehouse, we were greeted by a porygon-z sentry, who scanned all four of us closely with skeptical eyes. In a robotic voice, he spoke.

" _Half! Who approaches Fort Luxray?!"_ The polygonal Pokemon demanded. " _State your business!"_

"Ahem," Helios cleared his throat and did a slight courteous bow and lowered his head. "We come baring her Grace, future High Admiral of the Western Reach, Hazel Rodrick! The General wishes to speak with her, no?"

" _Open the gates!"_ The sentry changed his tune immediately. " _Western Duchess incoming!"_

The portcullis shook and slowly opened, letting us into the road that looped around the hill, surrounded by walls on either side, all of which had sentries looking down at us. I didn't want to be an enemy army caught between these walls. The four gatehouses opened for us as we proceeded through. The final gate led us into the first grassy bailey. Not unlike the encampment we visited two days ago, tents and all sorts of temporary living arrangements. What caught my eye next was the cobblestone path that lead to the keep/towers. On either side was a welcoming party of several military personnel. We walked by the mass gathering of Pokemon, all disciplined enough to keep looking forward even if we passed them. At the front of the line was a very familiar beige fox with many tails. He stood tall and, his tails fluttering in the wind. As we stopped at him, he bowed his head in respect as Thetis and Helios saluted him.

"We welcome you to our capital, Your Grace," Brigadier Ninetales smiled warmly and respectfully at Hazel. "It's an honour to have you here. Again, I apologize for our transgressions, we didn't realize it was you we threw in jail."

"No offence taken, Brigadier Nonus," Hazel smiled widely at the bigger fox. "Don't worry about it, mate."

"As you wish, Your Grace. The general will be here in but a moment, "

Just as he said that, the gatehouse to the keep's bailey slowly opened with a screech. From the darkness of the gatehouse emerged a giant lion, coated in blue and black fur and with a dark mane. As they passed their men, they all saluted this general without hesitation. Their X-Ray eyes slowly pierced Hazel and I, their mouth contorted into a permanent luxray slowly marched towards us, I felt a lump forming in my throat. Even Ninetales froze and stood at attention as the general stood by him. He seemed positively _petite_ compared to the lion. Between their ears was a very human-looking black General's Cap with her insignia on the front, and they wore a matching tailored coat adorned with medals, even on their shoulders were epaulets. They were _definitely_ a leader.

The general peered at us curiously, then to the brigadier with their scary expression. The ninetales nervously cleared his throat and introduced the general.

"General Electra Lionhardt, Supreme Commander of the Minutemon!" He saluted. I couldn't help but salute too.

Lionhardt nodded, then bowed her head in respect.

"Your Grace," She started with a powerful and deep voice. "You must be exhausted from your journey, however, there is much to discuss. Come. We may have news about your parents."

Without hesitation, she turned and was about to start walking to the keep, however she looked at us again.

"Privates Thetis and Helios. Dismissed!"

"Yes Ma'am!" They both saluted and marched off to the castle grounds without further words.

Lionhardt scanned me up and down with a skeptical gaze, with a hint of curiosity in her piercing eyes. I gulped and wanted to look away, but she didn't seem like the type to look too kindly on weakness, so I forced myself to make eye contact.

"And you are?" She coldly asked me.

"I-I'm Matthew Wolfe, Ma'am," I stuttered a response. "Her-"

"He's my squire, General," Hazel winked at me, which didn't go unnoticed by the lion, however, she didn't bother to question. She handed me her bag. "You can trust him."

"Very well." Electra nodded and began walking to the HQ. "Nonus, escort her squire to her chambers until further notice. Duchess Rodrick and I have matters to discuss. _In private."_

"As you wish, ma'am. Come along, now, Matthew. I'll show you to Duchess Rodrick's chambers so you can prepare them," He nodded and began leading me to the Keep.

We spoke as we passed through the gatehouse and into the keep's bailey. It was a lot more empty than the first section of the castle, having only the main building in the centre of a huge hill, as well as a statue of some human hero in front. It looked extremely familiar...it must've been from that photo of my sister, mother and me. I expected an aura vision, but I was not met by one for whatever reason. The interior of the keep was well lit with torches and was full of officers and their guards. The hallways were narrow and winding, with a generally confusing layout to dissuade any potential attackers. From the walls and the abundance of soldiers, I felt genuinely safe here.

"I take it you know what it takes to be her squire, no?" Nonus asked curiously. "You know how to make meetings for her, manage her belongings, cook her meals et cetera?"

"O-oh!" I smiled nervously. "Of _course_ I do! It's second nature to me!"

"Do mind me asking, but I'm curious," We stopped at a wooden door in an upper level of the keep. "Why would a squire of the Western Reach speak with an Eastern accent?"

"I-I uh...I only recently became her squire," I chuckled as he opened the door for me. "It's complicated."

"I see," the Brigadier nodded. "Well, these will be Hazel's accommodations, for the time being, make sure it's tidy and organized."

"Yes sir!" I saluted and stepped in, closing the door behind me. The stone room was a simple arch shape, rather small, but still cozy. On the right wall was a window with a desk under it and to the leftmost wall was a double bed, cozy looking.I peered out the window by sitting on the desk's chair, admiring the view of the castle grounds and the lake. I smiled and placed my bag down, reaching inside and retrieving my book on military strategy. Checking the contents, I noticed a section about castles. Seeing as where I was, I thought it would have been a fitting subject matter to read. I flipped over to the first page about castles and began studying.

' _Sometimes Humanity must be on the defensive, we are outnumbered after all. In the event of invasion, our brilliant engineers of the past came up with a solution, a stronghold so impervious and impregnable that any attack to her walls would be suicide. Standing proud on the banks of the eastmost lake of our territory is Castle Strong, the greatest castle of our country, the Lunar Republic. Built in 245 AA, it was designed to withstand any invasion and serve as Vigrade's first line of defense.'_

Below the text was a picture of the very castle I was in right now. I smiled knowing that I was in a familiar location.

' _This castle is the greatest fortress ever built on planet Gaia. Every brick was knowingly placed to insure the complete and utter invincibility of this location. Even when outnumbered ten to one, the brave defenders of Castle Strong defeated the Solar Kingdom degenerates and their Pokemon armies.'_

Solar Kingdom? Why did that sound so familiar? Hmm, strange.

' _This section shall overview everything that makes castle invincible and impossible to infiltrate—'_

" _Knock knock?"_ A light feminine voice called, it was vaguely familiar. I looked at the door and raised an eyebrow, taking note of the page and closed the book. Hopping down from the chair, I approached the entrance of the room and slowly opened it to see who was knocking. The door creaked open and I was greeted by a very familiar face, someone who I hadn't seen in some time. A female riolu. "Room service?"

"R-Riley?!" I gasped and let her in, quickly shutting the door behind my 'friend.' She quickly took a seat on the bed, folding one leg over the other. I lowered my voice and hissed. " _What're you doing here?! How did you get here?! How did you know I was here?!"_

"Just decided to stop by to give you something," She smirked and adjusted her shades. "Secondly, I got in via old, abandoned sewers, thirdly, I was following you since the cathedral, 'Bluey."

"T-that explains it…" I sighed and sat next to her, feeling a bit uneasy in her presence. Despite wearing sunglasses, I could feel her eyes on me. I quickly remembered something. "How did you know my name, anyway?"

She smirked and tapped her nose in response. Darn it.

"Ugh, well...you have something for me?"

I felt curious as she pulled out a neatly wrapped present and placed it on my lap. I raised my eyebrows and slowly undid the delicate blue ribbon and opened the paper. Inside the small box were two fashion accessories. In one hand I held a cute cyan bow, and in the other I held a dark brown scarf with a beige highlight near the top. It took me a second to realize these were meant for Hazel and me, as they matched us quite well.

"Riley...I...thank you…" I blushed and gently put my scarf on around my neck. It was a little big, but it was very soft and luxurious. I adjusted it somewhat and looked at my riolu comrade, who held a mirror out for me. I looked quite dashing. "I love it, where did you get it?"

"Saw them in the market, thought they looked quite lovely and reminded me of you, make sure you deliver that bow to Ms. Duchess for me, I'm sure she'll like it."

I held the pretty blue ribbon in both paws, smiling at the thoughtful gift for Hazel. Turns out there was a heart in Ms Mercenary Extraordinare's body. Who would have thought?

"She'll love it!" I giggled and fiddled with my scarf before noticing something else in the packaging, a little tube of superglue. I held it up curiously with two fingers. She just smiled even more.

"Thought It'd be handy for someone like you or her," she grinned knowingly. Almost immediately, I caught on to her intentions. I stared at Hazel's bag and knew what I had to do. "You're welcome again, by the way."

"I can't believe you're so nice to me," I rubbed my head and meekly smiled. "D-despite hunting me down and everything!"

"Despite being at odds," her demeanour changed to serious as she hopped off the bed and onto the desk. "Our kind are rare, we are kin. So goes the tradition of us aura wielders."

She opened the window and smiled at me.

" _Anneyong_ , my friend!" She laughed and slipped away, leaving me alone in the room. Ugh, how much did she know about me?! She even spoke some korean…. suddenly my aura tendrils raised and my eyes flashed blue. Her voice sounded in my head. " _I suggest you practice with the aura more before our next dance, bluesy! I'll be expecting you when you least expect me!"_

That girl was an enigma…

I sighed and closed the window, watching her run across the battlements, conveniently dodging the sentries' line of sight. I adjusted my scarf, put Hazel's bow down and reached into her bag, retrieving something that was broken in the museum. Something I could tell was very important to her.

* * *

 **Hazel**

"So," I examined Electra's War-Map of Cosma, my eyes hard fixed to the oblong island off the eastern coast, where a magenta star was situated. "That's where my parents are?"

"If the defector's information is correct, then yes," Lionhardt nodded while staring at the northwest-most peninsula of Cosma, my capital city of Crucible before staring at the eastern island. "That's where your parents are being held. Though we don't know exactly why, we do know it's for their leader's own sick gain. If you are willing to cooperate with us, Your Grace, we can rescue your parents and topple Starmie's regime within the year."

I nodded at the much larger quadruped. Anything to see Mummy and Dad again…

"Alright, what do you want me to do…?"

"Though our army outnumbers his, our access to the coast is... _limited…"_ she pointed to her borders, where a five mile wide piece of coastal territory was. It was _tiny._ "However, if we had access to your grandfather's fleets, we could storm Starmie's island and dethrone him. We need you to speak with Western Reach leadership since they don't recognize the legitimacy of our cause."

Lionhardt grimaced.

Without hesitation, I nodded in agreement.

"They'll listen to me, especially when I give my grandad the information about my mum...his daughter," I looked at the map of my kingdom nostalgically, a wave of emotions coursing through me. I thought about the loving arms of my parents around me once more. My journey was almost over. "I can head out to Crucible as soon as possible if you want. I have the influence to get an audience with the Queen if need be. Starmie and his cult are a serious threat, we need to inform the west about him."

The Luxray smirked at me and nodded.

"We will prepare an escort as soon as possible, Your Grace, thank you for believing in this cause," she held a paw out for me. I took it, even if it _massively_ dwarfed mine. "We can probably muster the resources to get you there by next week."

"Sounds like a plan. Believing is what we do, ma'am."

"That it is. Dinner is cooking now, I suggest you wait in your chamber until it is ready. The troops can be restless before the feast. I'll have a soldier escort you there." We left the room with smiles on our faces, though hers quickly disappeared when she saw the first soldier and barked orders at the poor heatmor, who saluted her. "You there! Take our guest to the guest chamber! Now!"

" _Yssmm'mm!"_ He responded in an extremely muffled voice, so muffled I could barely make out what he was trying to say. I couldn't even read this one because of the goggles he wore. " _Thssway, yergras!"_

I smiled at the general, who gave a polite nod before retreating back into her war room.

The heatmor, while incredibly intimidating, was also quite gentle and courteous, holding doors for me, etc. Even as we made it to my room, he remained on guard until one of his friends, a lopunny called him away. I made sure to politely thank my new fiery friend as he left. He mumbled something happily in response. He was nice.

I entered my room and immediately noticed the rain pounding on the now dark window, it was cozy, especially with the dim light coming from the candles on the desk. Both mine and Matt's bags were on the floor, neatly placed, but open. Strange. My riolu friend sat cross legged on the bed, reading a book about military stuff. Nerd. He grinned warmly at me as I joined him on the bed. I was glad to be reunited with him after that hour long conversation with the general. His goggles were lying next to him, as were his stuff in general, as well as a piece of brown fabric I didn't recognize.

"Heya, luv, comfortable?"

"Yup!" He reached for something behind him. "Close your eyes real quick! I've got something for you!"

"Ooh, presents!" I laughed and closed my eyes, eagerly anticipating what he had for me. I felt him shifting around on the bed, leaning towards me and gently grabbing my left ear. I shuddered as his paws were cold but I let him continue. He tied something around my ear, not too tightly, but not too loosely. A bow, maybe? But he still wasn't done, he lifted my glasses off of my muzzle and replaced them with another pair...they felt extremely familiar... _he didn't, did he…?_

"Ok! You can open your eyes now!" Matt chirped. I followed his instructions and was met with my hand mirror. In my reflection I was wearing a very pretty blue bow around my left ear and I had my original specs. My heart fluttered. He was so thoughtful...h-he repaired the glasses Mummy gave to me...I looked so pretty with this bow. I didn't care where he got it! It looked so nice. I felt tears running down my cheeks as I pushed the mirror aside. He looked at me with concerned eyes.

"Matthew…" I smiled and practically tackled him into a hug. He even fell backwards and left me lying on his chest. He blushed and stared up at me. " _Thankyousomuchyou'rethebest!"_

I nuzzled his cheek and held him tight. While flustered and caught off guard, he returned the hug. A quick yet devilish idea popped into my head as I looked down at him.

"I actually have something for you, Matthew," I grinned innocently. "Just as a thank you present. Close your eyes for me!"

"O-oh! Ok!" He followed my instructions like the innocent riolu he was. I pushed his head to one side and slowly placed my lips on his cheek, gently kissing him. I pulled back and eagerly awaited his reaction. His eyes darted open and his face looked as if it _burned_. He pulled his tendrils over his eyes and shuddered. " _N-ngh...Hazel..I...you...t-thank you!"_

I giggled and climbed off of him, not before caressing his face with a paw. He just stared at me with shocked eyes, he was cute.

"You're welcome, _luv,_ " grinned and lay by him taking my mirror and examining myself, cooing at this thoughtful gift. I cuddled up to his side, watching as he put his scarf on. He looked handsome with it. "Let's get some reading done before dinner eh? That book looks fun...by the way, I love the scarf, we're a bloody matching pair now!"

"T-that we are, Hazel…"He smiled and grabbed his book, not paying attention to how close we were. He looked to my bow, then to the window, his smile widening even further. The rain pounding on the glass was rather cozy. I could have done this forever if I could.

* * *

We heard bells ring across the castle, signalling that dinner time had come. Part of me wished to stay with him, as I started to grow rather...interested...with my squire. But alas, food was important.

We left my cozy barracks under the escort of the heatmor and his lopunny buddy. We reached the bottom hall of the keep, in the main dinner hall, where food and drink was being served, all to the jolly tunes of a bard band. The soldiers chatted and laughed, enjoying their meal. I tapped my foot in tune to the jolly music, a smile on my face. This castle was certainly more lively than the one I grew up in!

"Hey! Matt! Hazel!" A familiar voice called from a nearby table. Helios stood on his seat, waving us down and pointing at two empty seats by him and his mudkip boyfriend. Matt and I ran over and gladly sat by our buddies who greeted us with warm smiles. "Yo, guys!"

"How was your meeting with the general," Thetis shot me a cheeky grin. " _Your Grace?"_

"Very confidential," I playfully rolled my eyes and cooed as I eyed a large bowl of berry soup with bread all around it in the centre of the table. I used a provided ladle to pour myself a helping. I blew on a spoonful of the stuff and continued. "But what I can say is that we're going on a _bit_ of a Cosma road trip...all the way to Crucible to speak with a _queen._ "

"A-a Queen?!" Matt gasped with wide eyes. "L-like, crown and castle queen…?"

"Spot on, mate," I sipped at the hot liquid, enjoying the sweet taste of the soup. "She and I were housemates back in the day."

"Oh, damn," Helios whistled and rubbed his chin. "Was she as slimy as they say? I've never seen a goodra before."

"You can't say that about her majesty! She's the most _powerful_ woman in the country, if not the _world!"_ I looked around shiftily and mouthed " _she is."_

Helios giggled as he practically inhaled his food.

"W-Wait," Matt made a face of shock towards me. "Y-you _lived_ with this queen?!"

"Oh, yes," I explained casually as I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. "I was part of her court, the youngest member in fact, I attended all kinds of fancy balls, parties and diplomatic meetings. Being the heir to my house, it's important I learn all the skills to be a leader and all that shite."

"For a Duchess," Thetis playfully prodded me with his spoon. "You're not exactly the most...prissy or polite."

"Oh, no, my dad told me to keep my head high and never submit to anyone that _isn't_ my queen or my mum. Tough bastard that umbreon is, missing half an ear and he doesn't care one bit! Bit of a badass he is."

"Wow." the mudkip's eyes widened.

"Amazing…" my riolu buddy whispered and ate his food. "Glad I'm your squire, heh."

"And I'm glad your mine, Matt!" I pinched his cheek with a laugh, causing him to blush and stare down at his food in embarrassment. I chortled at his cute reaction. "Anyway, I'm sure I can get you two to tag along to the west, I'd love to introduce you lads to my family, hehe!"

"What's the room service like in your castle?" Helios asked with a smirk.

"I could get you a pedicure for your claws with the clap of my paws," I smirked back. "It's pretty good, to say the _least_."

"Ooh, fancy hotel, here we come!" Thetis joked and drank the left of his sweet soup. "We needed to rest our heads anyway, isn't that right, Helios?

"Damn right you are, we _deserve_ this after all the hard work we've done," The Charmander relaxed and placed his licked clean bowl down. "I want the queen's autograph!"

"Not if I get one first," The muddy fish grinned evilly. "I'm faster than you!"

"Like hell you will!" Helios fought back. Matt and I exchanged amused glances.

"Here we go again," the ex-human shook his head and laughed quietly.

I just smiled and looked around the room, my eyes meeting the general's as she walked by. I truly found my lucky break. I resisted the urge to tear up as I imagined my mum and dad. But no matter what, I needed to be strong, for me, them...and Matt. The upcoming journey was gonna be long, but I felt that I was near the end of my personal journey. I sighed and took in my surroundings. I could have stayed in this mess hall forever with my friends.

* * *

 **Sir Bisharp**

So, that was the Minutemon _hive._ Being so inland was the only reason we overlooked this fortress of solitude. I spied at the distant stone structure through a small telescope. Fires were lit and sentries patrolled the battlements despite the dark and rainy night. Of _course_ the interloper had to be in there. We got this information from Starmie; who used that Espeon Duchess' powers to see this. I scowled and put my eyepiece down. We were told to observe until further notice. Which in Starmie's case meant 'sit here in silence until the blasted starfish came up with something.'

"Tsk," I rolled my eyes, put my telescope down and sighed, hiding under the canopy of the trees from the rain that started pounding down heavier as the night went on. Any eagerness I once had for this assignment had dried up faster than any water in the harsh desert sun of Igris. It was miserable. "Anyone else regretting their life choices so far?"

"Constantly," Gardevoir smiled an exhausted, fake smile, his eyes heavy.

We had been on the move constantly since our transmission with Starmie. It must have been punishment for our failure. We were starting to run low on food, it turns out Gabriel's pocket dimension only had a finite amount of food stored in it. I dry heaved at the mere thought of eating any more noodles or potatoes, ugh. I wanted to retreat into the tent we had set up and sleep this whole miserable night away. But our orders were to observe their routine and wait for the Interloper to appear. He probably thought he was so high and mighty, spending the night in such a cushy and well defended castle. His cowardice made me sick.

I pitifully looked at my companions to see what state they were in. Gardevoir was huddled up very close to pangoro, leeching the oaf of his warmth while using his cape as a makeshift umbrella. Pangoro sat on a log with crossed arms, as quiet as he usually was.

However, it was Aegislash who caught my eye the most.

He hovered there, wistfully staring at their castle, a notable sadness in his singular eye, as if hundreds of thoughts were flying through his head at maximum speed. I had never seen such a vulnerable side of our leader, even when crippled by the riolu, he was still as strong as ever. But here, he just looked...sad. I lifted my permanent scowl for a moment and joined the living sword.

"Gene..." Aegislash sighed, scanning the castle almost religiously and placed a hand on my shoulder. "...you're too young for this…"

"What?!" I hissed, unamused at the elder sword's thoughts. "I—"

"You're seventeen. You're barely older than the ones we're hunting down," he sighed and looked at me with a sad purple eye. "I've never asked until now, but, why _exactly_ are you here? With Lord Starmie, I mean."

"Hmph," I scowled and held the grip of my sword, remembering why I was here. "My father sent me to you, said I was an unfit heir to the tribe, had no honor or intuition."

My frown deepened and my eye twitched.

"He's always hated me, always liked my younger brother better, wouldn't be surprised if he sent me out here to die," I shrugged casually. "But I'm still here, I suppose, so he's failed thus far."

Pride filled the sword's expression. He patted my shoulder.

"Damn right, Gene," Aegislash laughed jovially, breaking his stern demeanor for once. "You're a damn good fighter, Gene, don't let your dishonorable father get the best of you, understand?"

My eyes widened at his compliment. I did not recall ever being talked to so nicely before in my life. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to speak but failing. I could only bow my head respectfully.

"Thank you, Sir…" I'd force myself not to smile, if I had lips. "I won't let you down."

"Aww, look Pan-Pan," gardevoir grinned sarcastically, one hand on his cheek and the other patting his huge comrade's shoulder, trying to catch his attention. "I can make the adoption official if you want, I am a _certified_ lawyer, ahaha~"

Pangoro merely snorted it what was either disgust or amusement. I could not tell for the life of me.

"Gabriel," Aegislash returned to his usual cold, leader-like demeanour. "Keep these comments to yourself."

All the response he got was a cast shrug from the girly knight. His femininity...no, it was nothing. I sighed and remembered my past, kneeling down and picking my floral teapot off the small fire I had started, pouring the hot green drink into a porcelain cup. I kicked out the fire quickly in case the sentries spotted us.

The aroma of tea served to ease my nerves and let me relax, the hot drink warming my cold metal hands. I stared distantly at the fortress, imagining the vile creatures that resided inside of it. I would overcome this hurdle and reclaim my honor! I was the ultimate warrior in training, losing was _not_ my agenda!

I peered up to the twin moons in the sky and felt something was coming...something _big._ I was prepared for whatever destiny threw my way.

 **End of Chapter...**


	13. Chapter 13: Wings of Flame Part 1

**Chapter 13: Wings of Flame Part 1**

 **Sir Bisharp**

I awoke to the sound of Sir Aegislash speaking to someone familiar. I poked my head out of the tent, seeing the familiar grove that we were hiding in for what had to be at _least_ 3 days. All of which we had no confirmation or sightings on that forsaken riolu. Aegislash hovered with his back to the tent, facing whoever he was speaking with.

I checked the interior of my tent, my eyes widening in horror upon seeing gardevoir and pangoro fast asleep together. Just _who_ was Aegislash speaking with…? I sighed and equipped myself with my things, holding the hilt of my sheathed sword as I left the warmth and security of my tent. Aegislash wasn't in immediate danger, I thought. I was rather grateful that he let us sleep as he was the sentry.

The morning air was crisp and slightly damp, causing me to shiver subtly. I cracked my joints and approached the duo cautiously.

"Sir, who are you speaking to…?

My heart stopped when I saw just who the newcomer was. Standing in front of Aegislash just 'staring' at me was a violet starfish with a bright magenta jewel in its front. I immediately bowed in respect to Lord Starmie. His gem flickered in satisfaction and his rear star spun slowly; if at all.

"Why, speak of the... _devil…_ " Starmie cooed and stepped towards me. My heart raced. Did he know that I failed to kill the riolu? If so, what did he have planned for me?! Instead of destroying me on the spot, he gently placed one of his points on my shoulder. The contact locked me up in dread. I peered into the only thing I could comprehend as an eye, his gem. "Sir Bisharp, we have matters to discuss, matters that require your... _expertise."_

"You...need me?" I said with wide eyes and an agape mouth, dropping my rainbow feather by mistake, an action that wasn't unnoticed by Starmie. The feather was psychically caught before it hit the ground. I watched anxiously at it as my master studied my prize from Ho-oh. "W-what for…?"

"Utterly magnificent, is it not?" Starmie's voice displayed a worrying amount of emotion as he angled the rainbow feather in the sun to catch as much sunlight as it could reflect. "How a mere teenager could steal such a valuable prize from such a powerful being...it's all too... _brilliant."_

My hand forced itself into an open palm, taking the feather that hovered into it, my hand closing around my trophy. If I expected psychic, I could have resisted that…

"I... _debated_...whether or not I should take yours, but," his tone was low and methodical. "It is _your_ most prized possession, however, I've grown so _fond..._ of these rare feathers that I simply _must_ add one to my archeological collection. That's why I want you four and myself to acquire one."

Was he serious? What about the Interloper?! Was his gem cracked? I remained silent and nodded in agreement, I was afraid to even _dare_ question him.

"I know you have your...questions...however, this will all work out in the end, " His tone was...unreadable to say the _least_. I sucked in some air and nodded again, placing my trophy where it belonged. "I'm glad we see eye-to-gem. Besides, attacking a position that... _fortified..._ is foolish, to say the least. For now, we bide our time and do some... _side..._ projects, hm?"

He was up to something. Something I did _not_ like. I only claimed this feather through sheer luck, Ho-oh was likely aware of any tricks or attacks now. If Starmie joined us, we'd outnumber her five-to-one. But it was still a risky idea.

"I have a plan, as always, " our master casually shrugged and peered at the castle. "Wake the other knights up _immediately_. There's no time to waste. Mount Nenshō is a two day walk away from here, northbound. We can make it in one and a half if we set out immediately and take a certain passage through the Howling Gorge, a mystery dungeon. I have predicted as much and I won't have you four... _wasting..._ any time."

And with that note, he did not speak for the rest of the time we were at this grove. I sighed and woke my comrades up, they weren't happy about. But any complaints were quickly snuffed out upon seeing Lord Starmie. Once we were all ready, I braced myself for a _lot_ of walking.

"Good grief…" I mumbled as the five of us set out, all four of us knights surrounding Lord Starmie to escort him.

* * *

The journey was long and arduous, trekking through rough highlands and skirting around tall, wide mountains in the heavy rain; avoiding any and all nearby towns and settlements. We _especially_ avoided the nearby borders of the west and the east, the thinnest of this uncontested strip of land being a mere mile and a half wide. It was awful, but we eventually pushed onward to the entrance to the howling gorge, the abundance of Oran berries Starmie had provided for us keeping us from all collapsing on the spot.

We stood at the entrance of a large dark red canyon whose river had long since dried up. Through the tight gorge, the sound of wind endlessly blew. It was rather ominous, but it was something. I stared up above the entrance, seeing the tall volcanic peak of Mount Nenshō. I remembered that mountain fondly, though I approached from another angle to fight Ho-oh.

"This looks like the place," Sir Gardevoir consulted his map with a slight grin, tracing the roads with a slender finger before flicking the volcano's location with a giggle. "Soooooooo, who's going first?"

"I am," Starmie barged past, seemingly unphased by the seemingly endless walk we took; his voice filled with a scary amount of determination. "Destiny is in _our_ hands today, knights! Let us take this opportunity to _purge_ our enemies from this world!"

"Ha! Well said, my Lord!" Aegislash laughed and followed him into the Gorge. "Make haste! To arms!"

Pangoro snorted and walked in, with gardevoir at his side.

"Fighting a legendary bird Pokemon, ahaha, this will _definitely_ be interesting~"

I was left as the only one outside of the tall cliffs for a brief moment, enjoying the quiet serenity of the blowing wind. It was pleasing, soothing me down to my core. I knew it wouldn't last, so I forced myself to join the other four inside the mystery dungeon.

I was blessed with the sight of a feral tauros convulsing on the ground, at the 'feet' of Lord Starmie; who seemingly shocked it with thunderbolt. I wasn't even surprised at his brutal methods of execution. I _almost_ felt pity for the feral. Starmie didn't, he just peered at it until it ceased movement before continuing on as if nothing really happened.

Starmie led us through the narrow passages and tunnels of this windy dungeon, letting us handle the majority of the feral Pokemon that came our way. I growled as I swiftly, yet narrowly avoided a rhyhorn that was trying to rush me. I swiftly jumped out of the way of the stampeding ground type, landing gracefully while slashing its side with one of my forearm blades. It hissed in pain as I drew blood. My allies couldn't aid me, as they were preoccupied with feral Pokemon too. All but Starmie, who just stood there, _observing._

I internally scoffed at my master's absence in the battle. I supposed he was merely testing us and our skills. I was more than capable. After composing itself, the rhyhorn kicked the ground roughly, sending sand flying everywhere, some of it landing square in my eyes. I hissed as they began watering. Sand Attack, even feral Pokemon weren't above dishonorable tactics!

With limited vision, I immediately went on the defensive and listened to the sound of the stone rhino's heavy footsteps. It approached me from my right judging from sound alone. I shut my eyes and jumped over it, slashing down at its back. It screeched in pain and fell over with a thud; bleeding from a large wound on its back. I landed gracefully with stinging eyes. The stone type collapsed, knocked out by my precise assault. Even without sight, I knew where to strike by sound alone.

This was the downfall of large Pokemon.

I rubbed my eyes and caught a glimpse of what my comrades were up to. Pangoro clashed with a gravler, picking it up and slamming it into the ground; roaring as he killed it practically instantaneously. Gardevoir gracefully danced around a marowak that couldn't get a good hit off on him, peppering the bone Pokemon with light psychic attacks. Aegislash shield bashed a charging bouffulant, knocking it far off its course. It was then met with a fatal slash to the side.

From the sidelines, observing while sitting on a rock was Starmie, emotionlessly watching us fight. He looked at me and shot a beam of water at my face, sending me flying back against the floor painfully, but clearing my eyes of the sand. Starmie waved a point at me.

"Go on. Your team is _waiting_ for you. I suggest you not."

Without response, I lunged forward and struck the marowak in the back of its head with a punch. It stumbled but didn't fall, instead swinging around quickly and striking my hip with its bone. My armour was useless to a ground type attack. I shrieked in pain as I fell to a knee. It tried to smash my head in with its weapon. I quickly caught it in my hand and pulled hard on it.

The bone wielding reptile came toppling down on me, cutting its abdomen on my stomach blades. With this newfound opportunity, I grabbed it by the head and rammed it into the ground. I heard the distinct sound of bone shattering before silence and wind blessed my hearing. With a sigh, I accepted gardevoir's outstretched hand, letting him pull me up to my feet. I dusted myself and nodded a thank you to him

"If that's the _end_ of our interruptions," the androgynous knight sighed and gazed at the tall volcano that stood proudly in the distance beyond the canyon walls, walking in its general direction. "We should press on, no?"

"Yeah, what 'e said," pangoro huffed as he punched another gravler's face in; actuality speaking after what felt like an eternity of silence. "Let's get this over and done with."

The Howling Gorge proved itself to be a slog of a dungeon. It wasn't the fact that the ferals were difficult to deal with, but they just kept coming in droves. One by one, ground and rock types fell to our attacks; any weariness we felt was immediately met with an Oran Berry lobbed at us by Starmie without compassion or care. It was miserable.

We gradually elevated higher and higher into the canyon, scaling its tall walls via narrow paths, punting anything that got close off into the gorge below. The wind only got stronger and stronger as we got ever closer to the plateau or this canyon.

The wind was near deafening as I climbed the final rock that provided any cover. My purple cape danced in the gust; my breath stolen by the gorgeous view of the central continental mountain range. I gazed longingly westward, watching as the sun set over the distant, yet still gigantic Mount Cosma. Barely showing themselves in the dark blue sky were the two moons. I let myself smile as I stood we stood tall and proud above the world.

My eyes shifted to the familiar volcano we stood at the foot of it. Smoke freely rose from the peak and into the sky above. It was still active. I remembered the stench of sulfur from my last visit. It was overbearing. Even down here, I caught a whiff of it. I braced myself for the impending smell.

"Why do you four falter?!" Starmie hissed and began walking over to the carved steps in the side of the volcano. Spiralling around the mountain was a series of steps and temples, built by Pokemon who wished to pay tribute to the immortal Phoenix goddess. And I was planning on defiling it. For the _second_ time. "We must visit our...friend...by the end of tonight. Our resolve must be true."

"Ooh, I'm excited!" Gardevoir clapped his hands together and giggled, giddily following behind Starmie. "I'm the first to get an autograph!"

"How can he make jokes with _these_ circumstances?! Hmph!" I scoffed and crossed my arms. " _Clearly_ he doesn't know what he's up against!"

"A Pokemon's a Pokemon," Gaston grunted by my side, shrugging as he did so. "She's outnumbered here. We'll be the five that _pummel_ her into dust, ha!"

"Keep your guard up, Gene," Aegislash squeezed my shoulder and gave me a strong look. "You have more experience than any of us, you should fill us in on what you have seen as we go along."

"Hmph," I started climbing the steps towards the first temple. "Be prepared, she can fly and we can't."

* * *

"In the ancient times, even before the arrival of humans and their gods, before simple Pokémon were given free thought or will, arceus created all," Starmie eagerly read a stone inscription that was carved into the temple walls, illuminated only by endless fires that burned upon their torches. "After the time and space lords: Dialga and Palkia shaped our universe, our planet was born from nothing, shaped by the mighty Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza. Protecting the Sky High Pokemon's domain and symbolising happiness and joy, is the Immortal Phoenix, Ho-oh."

Above the inscription were stone carvings of all the mentioned legendary Pokemon in the wall, arceus depicted as floating tall and proud above its subjects. Starmie noted things down. I distinctly remembered this wall and how I basked in its glory two years ago, slight guilt building up in my stomach. I shook it off and thought of my pride.

We all silently let Starmie continue on jotting everything down, daring not to interrupt his work or questioning his intense desire to learn.

"Let us continue," the starfish peered around the mostly plain stone room before leaving for the next temple. The wind only blew louder as we began walking up even more stairs on the outside of the mountain. Our capes fluttered in the evening breeze; the stench of sulfur irritating our noses. "There's more in store up here…"

We barely had a chance to savour the views and the architecture of this beautiful mountain and its temples. In the next room was a continuation of the previous scripture and murals.

"Ho-oh is the colour of our world, a vibrant rainbow who eliminates the grey and the monotone. All who see and listen to her are said to achieve true happiness and satisfaction in life. No beauty in Gaia can compare to the majesty of her." Starmie continued to read and note it down. Depicted on a wall was a mural of several Pokemon and even humans bowing down before Ho-oh. "Even the human gods, The Moon Lord, and Sun Mother came to Ho-oh for advice."

The next mural showed two humans adorned in armour, one blue and one orange, bowing before the Phoenix. Dread only built up in my stomach more. We could have been walking into our deaths. I let out a sigh and continued following Starmie up the mountain. The higher we got, the temples became more and more ornate and with golden murals.

"To the ones reading this, the ones who have traveled from afar," Starmie read the final mural that was before a huge golden gate. It showed the Phoenix in all her glory, cast in gold and covered in gems of all the colours of the rainbow. "Are you ready for happiness? Do you have the mind to achieve it? Step beyond the gates of this hallowed ground to find happiness."

We were all silent, gazing at the gate. I remembered it fondly, it hadn't changed a bit since I was fifteen. Still as polished and beautiful as ever. I looked back at the vast continent behind me. The only taller mountain in view was Gaia's tallest peak.I shifted my gaze above to the volcano's top. It continued to spew out smoke. But that was not nearly as important, for the shrine was just ahead. I sucked in as much air as I could and opened the gate myself. It did not creak or squeak, just like before. My team followed me to the shrine.

The shrine was a large stone platform with many tall pillars; one of which was cast in solid gold and appeared to be a perch. In the very center of the shrine was a huge bell.

"I take it that summons her?" Gardevoir asked, peering deep into the golden shine of the bell, noticing his own reflection. "It's a gorgeous bell."

"It does," I nodded as my heart rate sped up significantly. I felt itchy and warm with anxiety. "We should brace ourselves before-"

 _Gong…_

…

Starmie had instantly rung the bell without hesitation or second thoughts with psychic. The ringing of the bell echoed all throughout the land. I felt the breath get sucked from my lungs as the clouds began parting, letting whatever dying light of the day through. There was a brief and tense silence before an ear piercing screech deafened us. From the high heavens decenced a huge bird, covered in brilliant orange, green and white plumage, She danced in the sky, circling around the volcano at terrifying speeds. The light reflected off of her body, shining in every direction in seemingly every direction. I held my breath as her eyes looked down at me with an unimpressed squint. She screeched again; landing on the provided perch with considerable force. She folded her wings and quietly scanned us. Ho-oh…

" _ **Welcome, Mortals,"**_ Ho-oh spoke with a regal voice, her feathers flowing endlessly. It was my imagination, but I could have sworn that she was _glowing._ " _ **For what reason have you summoned me, Ho-oh, guardian of the Mighty Rayquaza's skies?"**_

I opened my mouth to speak to the divine bird who _clearly_ recognized me, but was cut off by Starmie.

"We wish to have another one of your... _feathers…"_

Almost immediately, her eyes tightened and she straightened her posture.

" _ **The gall of you mortals,"**_ Ho-oh's tone changed from serene to assertive in a matter of seconds. " _ **Because this steel type child managed to steal from we with sheer luck, you believe you can steal from me too?! Leave! Before I scatter you to the winds, water type."**_

Her eyes shifted to me and tightened even more. I felt my heart stop as Ho-oh penetrated my soul with her very gaze.I could see a certain fire burning in her crimson eyes, the fire of rage.

" _ **Gene, it is clear you listened not to my words, as you travel with these...degenerates!"**_ She hissed and spread her wings, making herself look as large as possible. " _ **Your heart is impure, tainted with a sullied honour you never had! You refuse to listen because you believe yourself as always right, like a child! You can hide from them, but you can't hide from me."**_

I growled as she screeched at everyone else, peering deep into our hearts to figure us out.

" _ **Gaston!"**_ The Immortal Phoenix pointed a wing at the large panda that was small compared to her. " _ **You believe strength is all that matters in this world, you have no compassion for others because you think they are weak. You repress yourself and ruin all relationships you ever had because of it!"**_

Pangoro grunted and lowered his head, almost sadly; but had no time to react as Ho-oh continued her tirade.

" _ **Gabriel, a disgraced beauty, you blame the world for your problems instead of looking deep into yourself, you do this only to get back at the world, but it doesn't make you happy. But your own ego makes you reject any and all ideas that you may be wrong."**_ She her wing that was pointed to gardevoir next pointed to aegislash as the effeminate man held back tears. " _ **Gerald, a man of a different time, who did not ascend to the afterlife for whatever reason, you have the heart of a warrior and a knight, you are honorbound and virtuous. But you are naive and blind to whatever master you have because of chivalry and your code."**_

She finally looked to starmie as us knights took in everything that she said. Pangoro looked ready to murder someone, Gardevoir was on the brink of tears and aegislash's expression was unreadable. My hands were firmly pressed shut. How dare she…

" _ **And you...I don't even know what YOU are,"**_ She hissed at Starmie. " _ **I have never encountered a being with as little a heart as you. The amount of blood you have spilled for your own selfish crusade for knowledge. You are a monster. You cannot repent for your sins. What do you have to say for yourself?!"**_

"Ha," Starmie scoffed and boldly took a step forward towards her perch. "I don't need to explain myself to the likes of _you._ If you want to live in a world of naive fools and no progress, so be it. But in the world _I_ will shape after I open the largest secret of all in Lunaii, there will be no place for heathens like you, Ho-oh."

" _ **I see how it is,"**_ The phoenix pokemon nodded solemnly. " _ **Leave now or be incinerated. It is your choice."**_

"Don't even think about running, knights, or I will kill you myself," Starmie bluntly ordered us. "To arms."

With no other choice, we braced ourselves for combat. We all stood in a line behind Starmie. I drew my blades, pangoro cracked his knuckles, gardevoir readied some spells and Aegislash changed to a defensive stance. Without words, Ho-oh spread her wings and took off with a mighty screech. This was it.

She swooped over head at high speed, raining fireballs down upon us. We immediately broke formation to avoid these. I dived out of the way, narrowly avoiding an explosion as a fireball hit the ground. However, I didn't have much time to react as a second volly came at us. Before I could roll out of the way, aegislash blocked the attack with King's Shield, his body taking recoil damage from the sheer force of the fireball.

From what little time I had to comprehend what was going on, I saw gardevoir holding a shield around himself and pangoro while shooting up at the phoenix with shadow ball. What surprised me most was Starmie, who used Ice Beam to freeze the ground below him to skate on gracefully. While he did that, he unleashed beams of Scald and Thunderbolts. But Ho-oh was far too fast for our attacks. I debated on whether I should have thrown any shurikens or kunais at her, but quickly realised that I wasn't very confident in my throwing skills.I grimaced, realising that Aegislash, Pangoro and I were rather useless in this confrontation at the moment. I quickly remembered my last encounter with her.

"Take cover! Stay out of range of her vollies!" I hissed and dived behind a pillar. "Stay at different angles so she can't see us all at once! She'll be forced to engage us at close range!"

My comrades nodded and followed my instructions while Starmie distracted her. I watched my teammates scramble and take cover behind whatever they could. Ho-oh quickly caught on to this and flew down at us, hovering above the arena while stationary. She scowled and began flapping her wings at extreme speeds, causing a huge whirlwind in the direction of the edge; which had a huge drop that was guaranteed to be fatal. I took out my word and stabbed it into the pillar, holding it as tightly as I could just to be sure. Starmie created a huge barrier of ice in front of him. Aegislash stabbed himself into the ground and held his shield up, Gardevoir hid behind a pillar and Pangoro just braced himself on the spot, not caring about cover. The sounds of her wind were overbearing. I could barely hear myself _think_ over it.

The whirlwind abruptly ended. I opened my eyes to scan the situation; only to be grabbed by a huge talon and forced into the air as Ho-oh flew. I screamed as she gained altitude rapidly.

" _Gene!"_ Shouted Aegislash as I was taken into the sky by her. The wind whooshed by me as she flew higher and higher.

Ho-oh tried simply dropping me, but I cling to the back toe of her talon, stabbing my sword into her ankle and pulling myself up towards her body. I heard her hiss in pain as I barely managed to climb up on top of her. I crawled up to her head and clung to the plumage on her head.

" _ **You've grown, Gene,"**_ her voice boomed even over the wind. " _ **Pity your skills are wasted!"**_

She shook her head violently to try and make me let go, but my grip was as strong as my resolve. In retaliation, Ho-oh flew up high, higher than even the mountains. My breath felt shallow and I felt ice cold. I stared up at the sky above, seeing the stars and space. My eyes widened at this sight. However, she didn't stay up here for very long, choosing to quickly make a sharp nose dive down back to the volcano.

Wind violently blew past my body as I clung to her plumage, my feet unable to stay on her head, my body just dangling. My life _depended_ on if my arms could hold on. I could feel my hands slipping... _no!_ I held on for dear life as she lost altitude rapidly. One of my hands just slipped right off as I lost my grip.

Ngh…this couldn't be it…

My remaining hand rapidly lost its grip on Ho-oh. As if she knew as much, she spun mid air, sending me flying off her body. Life seemed to slow as I fell down to Gaia at rapid speeds. My eyes widened as I stared at the vast sky above. My final sight, the two moons...I felt tears well up in my eyes. Of all the ways I could have fallen...this was it, literally falling to my doom. My honour...all this because I failed to kill a riolu. I...I always told myself I would accept any death that came to me but…

 _I didn't want to die._

I closed my eyes and unleashed my waterworks. However, before I hit the ground, I saw Ho-oh get zapped by Starmie's thunderbolt, sending her crashing down to her shrine before she could pull up. A good shot, but it would not have saved me. I braced myself for death, but a light sensation quickly enveloped my body and my rapid descent was slowed significantly by this unknown force. I opened my eyes to see gardevoir jump up on one of the pillars psychically then up to me, catching me. He held me with one arm beneath my knees and one on my back. He slowed our fall, but looked like he struggled to do so.

"G-Gabriel?!" I gasped and stared up at him. For once, I saw a hint of mercy and kindness in his pink eyes. "I-I...t-thank you…"

"We're not through this yet, Geney," He landed on the pillar he jumped from and gently set me down, using heal pulse to soothe whatever injuries I may have acquired. "We still have a bird to fry."

We jumped down and saw Ho-oh preparing to fly, but a huge icicle fired by Starmie pierced one of her wings. She screeched in pain as that wing fell somewhat limp.

"Flight is too good an advantage to have, Ho-oh," Starmie scoffed and sidestepped one of her fireballs. "So I decided that you shouldn't be allowed to."

" _ **You vile creature…"**_ the Phoenix growled lowly. " _ **Do you think flight alone makes me a goddess?!"**_

Her eyes suddenly glowed white and a rainbow ball began charging in her mouth. I immediately knew what it was and gasped.

"Hyper beam!" I yelled and jumped down from the pillar, followed by gardevoir who put a shield around us both. "Get down!"

I held my breath as she unleashed the hyper beam directly at Starmie. It sounded like what I imagined a shooting star to sound like. The beam was so bright and blinding that everything around it _dimmed_. Starmie skated away in response with the beam right behind him. The blinding laser sliced through the pillars like my sword to paper, I _dreaded_ what would happen if that touched a Pokemon.

" _Go now while she's distracted!"_ Starmie telepathically hissed in my mind.

In a burst of sheer determination, I hopped out of my cover and charged her head with my sword. She noticed me and was about to turn her head to blast me, but pangoro jumped from seemingly nowhere and forced her beak shut. The sheer energy of the beam released itself through her nostrils and into the sky. It looked and sounded rather painful from her pained expression and muffled screams. In an act of desperation before I could reach her, she thrashed her head violently, sending pangoro flying into me. We were both knocked down, I could feel my blades cutting my teammate. He winced in pain as we pulled ourselves up. I could see him bleeding from where we made contact, but he cared not.

Ho-oh stared at us with murder in her eyes and was about to engage us, but her eyes quickly darted to her side and she blasted the ground, sending Starmie flying through the air from a blast, but he gracefully landed on a pillar and shot her with yet another thunderbolt.

With a scream of agony, she shot the pillar Starmie stood atop of, which left her open to another thunderbolt from gardevoir. Starmie landed at her other side and shot off another beam of electricity at her. From either side of the legendary bird, the two psychics started injuring her severely, the continued use of electricity probably paralysing her. In her eyes, I saw pain and...fear? Did legendary Pokemon feel fear? Even if she was my enemy, I only felt pity for her. This was not an honourable tactic…

I made eye contact with her and saw the pain and fear even clearer. It made by heart stop for a moment. Even as she tried to kill me earlier, I couldn't help but feel bad for Ho-oh right now.

" _Aegislash, Bisharp, Pangoro!"_ Starmie spat. " _Don't just stand there! Restrain her!"_

Following orders, Aegislash and pangoro held her wings down, leaving me just standing there. I carefully walked to her head and knelt, reading the agony on her face. She was a being of such unimaginable power, but...how did we bring her down to _this?_

I remembered my first conversation with her and remembered the points she tried to make.

" _ **G-Gene…"**_ the bird weakly spoke and looked up to me with one eye open. I held my breath again and forced myself to look at her back. " _ **Is this what you wanted…? H-how will this restore your honour...how does bringing pain to an innocent riolu and eevee fix your heart and mind…?"**_

Ngh…she was peering into my heart again, she even knew about the interloper…

" _ **N-no response…?"**_ She gasped and coughed. " _ **I know what your heart says, Gene...why do you resist? Why do you repress? Do you not want them finding out that you're a—?"**_

"Don't listen to her!" Starmie warned me. "She's just trying to manipulate you!"

" _ **Quiet…"**_ her body seemed to catch fire on the spot, burning Aegislash and Pangoro away. I instinctively jumped back and gasped. She pushed herself to her talons and spread her wings, unleashing an explosion of fire all around her body. The blast was so intense that scorched the ground beneath us and sent all of us knights flying back. " _ **Enough! Do you take me for a fool?!"**_

" _Yes_ ," Starmie... _laughed_. Ho-oh turned to him with disgust in her eyes, though they quickly turned to fear. As we got up, injured and burned, our pain was replaced by a mixture of emotions. Floating meters off the ground was Starmie, surrounded by an aura of psychic. " _Such hubris I detect from you, it's funny, and ironic. You criticise my men for their 'hubris' and 'ego,' yet, I detect extreme amounts of it from you. It's to be expected, you legendary Pokemon are all the same, thinking you're always above us."_

The back star began spinning at extreme speeds, so fast that it was nearly impossible to see.

" _ **W-What are you…?"**_ Ho-oh gasped and stepped back, looking back at us desperately. We looked back with a similar expression. " _ **What kind of Starmie are you…?"**_

" _I am the greatest being to grace this planet,"_ Starmie laughed and began charging something. _Big_. " _Something beyond your feeble comprehension. I will see through this world and it's lies and secrets. I wish to know everything. But for now. Be still."_

From his gem, he unleashed a massive current of electrified water directly into her abdomen, knocking her down instantly. She let out a blood curdling screech as he held the beam on her for upwards of two minutes. She stared at us desperately, reaching a wing out to us for help. I dropped my feather out of my mouth. Gardevoir cupped his mouth in his hands and looked away, Aegislash stared with horror in his eye, while pangoro's jaw was dropped. I could even see her skeleton flashing from the lightning. Once Starmie's beam was off her, he landed and slowly approached her injured being. She lay there, mostly motionless, smoking from what he just did to her.

" _ **You…"**_ Ho-oh choked and looked at Lord Starmie weakly with tears running down her eyes. " _ **W-What do you hope to achieve...you can't kill me...I will always raise from the ashes...you should know this…"**_

"Kill you?" Starmie stroked her cheek and laughed again. "Why would I do that? You're much too... _useful_. Gabriel, heal her."

"But, we went through so much effort to—" Gardevoir responded but quickly silenced himself when Starmie stared at him. He quickly knelt and began healing her. "O-on it…"

"Now, my dear," Starmie opened a portal and pulled a bag out of it. Inside the bag was some kind of...large mask, white in colour, made of some kind of stone. It was mostly plain except for the single blue rhombus in the centre of it. He slowly approached her holding this device. "My... _benefactor_..told me this should keep you in place. Hold still."

As soon as it went on her face and around her eyes, Ho-oh began to writhe and scream before falling completely limp. What did he do…? Did he kill her…?

"Ho-oh," Starmie barked. "Stand!"

Without hesitation, the Phoenix goddess stood up and looked down at him. He... _he didn't_...

"Spin for me!"

Ho-oh spun in a circle, eliciting a laugh from Starmie.

" _Destroy that bell."_

With a huge fireball, her own bell was destroyed.

"Starmie…" Aegislash floated forward and studied the now subservient Phoenix fearfully. " _What did you do to her?!"_

"Worry not, dear Aegislash. She's still alive in there, fully conscious and aware," The starfish chuckled and spun his rear star in satisfaction, mounting the bird and petting her head. "But we now have our _coup de grâce_ against the Minutemon and the Interloper. Seeing as he's at their... _headquarters_...I thought it would be efficient to destroy both problems with one fell swoop. 'To kill two birds with one stone,' as the humans would say."

I couldn't even bring myself to speak at what he just did.

" _Storm their coastlines,"_ Starmie's gem began flashing as he issued orders to his men across the world. " _Operation 'Wings of Flame' has commenced. Take prisoners. We're on our way, over."_

Starmie turned to us impatiently.

"Well?! Climb on!"

With little speaking, we all climbed on her back once she was fully healed. I held on for dear life as Ho-oh took a running start before taking off. Once airborne, Starmie flew as high as possible south to avoid detection. I just stared blankly at the horizon, thinking of the battle we had just endured. I felt no pride in victory. We toppled a legendary Pokemon, but all we felt was shame. So Starmie lied to us. Instead of a simple feather, he gained an ultimate weapon. For once, I doubted our leader's intentions.

My teammates were just as miserable as me. Gardevoir sadly slept while leaning into Pangoro: who was silent as ever with heavy eyes. Aegislash gave me a look and squeezed my shoulder before looking towards Starmie with a blank look. I felt...evil for doing this. My heart sank as I remembered that she was conscious and aware of what was happening.

"Please, don't feel so bad," Starmie sighed dismissively at us, shooting a glance at us before looking forward to fly her. "Legendary Pokemon are degenerates with god... _complexes_. They don't _deserve_ pity. Especially from us. What we did will go down in _history."_

I wasn't convinced to say the least, but I kept my mouth shut to avoid being thrown off Ho-oh. I sighed and leaned forward, closing my eyes and resting. I didn't even know what to do. I didn't even care about the views we were getting from all the way up here.

* * *

I barely slept a wink as that battle played itself on loop in my head and made me sick to my stomach. It was the most dishonourable display I had ever witnessed. It was enough to question my faith in the cause...but...I thought about my teammates sadly. They were all I had. Even if we had our _disagreements._ They didn't know what I truly was and I was happy with that. I remembered how gardevoir saved me earlier and I couldn't be more grateful.

I felt Ho-oh land with a thud. We were only airborne for about an hour, yet here we were at the coast. Upon opening my eyes, I saw a completely ransacked dock with burning Minutemon ships sinking in the ocean. Our fleet was docked and our armies were already setting up shop here. Magenta tents dotted the coastline and our soldiers were patrolling.

Ho-oh landed in what used to be a town square, waited for by a staryu. Who was he? One by one, we dismounted the legendary Pokemon before being greeted by this lesser starfish.

"Greetings, my Lord," the Staryu bowed before Starmie. They then looked at us knights and did a simpler bow. "And his knights. I see that your mission was a success."

"It was, general, come, Knights," Starmie beckoned us to follow. The two starfish began leading us to the largest war tent in the center of our encampment. "We've much to discuss."

We all gathered around a war table with a map of the Minutemon castle and the surrounding area.

"Under _normal_ circumstances," General Staryu began coldly, explaining his strategy and plan to us knights, Starmie and a group of other decorated officers. "A siege like this would be extremely difficult. _However,_ thanks to the actions of our lord and his knights, we have the means of laying down covering fire from above. It's inconceivable for them to defend from our troops while defending from the aerial bombardments at the same time. I predict we have a ninety-five percent chance of success if all goes according to plan."

"Excellent!" Starmie exclaimed. "When's the soonest we can begin this attack?"

"Tomorrow night, the troops are raring to go," Staryu explained and moved several magenta stars around the castle. "And I also predict that we'll take the fortress before the sun rises. This victory will be a true one. We will _crush_ the Minutemon."

"Anything else, general?" Starmie laughed and spun his star in satisfaction.

"Knights, stand forward," Staryu beckoned us over. He pulled out a case and opened it. Inside were four human-made devices. One was painted red, one green, one black and one gold. They were colour coded to us. "These are flare guns. Use these in the unlikely event of a retreat. Though we _will_ win this battle, having contingencies is always good."

"And how exactly do we use them?" Gardevoir tilted his head while holding his gun, examining it closely. "I've never operated anything like this."

"Aim up to the sky and pull the trigger, it will notify the army of a retreat. If one knight shoots it, the other three must too, it is to make sure that the entire army is aware of the retreat." Staryu effortlessly explained while examining the map.

"What are our numbers compared to theirs?" Aegislash asked with a notable amount of concern in his voice. "Do _not_ underestimate that fortress. Believe me, I knew this place before I...died. If the Minutemon knows the intricacies and design of the castle, we will have a very hard time taking it."

"I doubt the attackers you knew had Ho-oh backing them up," Starmie bluntly stated. "The ground units are merely there to ensure escape is impossible."

Aegislash squinted.

"To put all your faith in one weapon is a foolish and dangerous gamble, Lord Starmie," The sword scowled. "I've seen an empire fall due to that."

"Aegislash, I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't confident in the skills of my men. Leave us. I'll allow you knights to get some rest. Take your flare guns and prepare yourselves for the battle ahead. Dismissed," Starmie dismissively waved us off and started speaking to his officers. "Begone, for now, we're marching north in the morning."

We walked out into the night sky, a chill breeze washing over us all. We couldn't bear to look at each other or even speak. Aegislash went over to Ho-oh, Gabriel searched for the nearest barracks tent and pangoro silently stalked off somewhere. I gazed down at my flare gun, to the enslaved Phoenix, then to the sky above.

 _I was not prepared for the next battle._

 **End of Chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14: Wings of Flame Part 2

(AN) so here we are, fellas, part two, the final chapter of PoD's first arch, it's been a long journey so far. And here we are, halfway through. I want to thank you all for staying with me all this time \\(^.^)/

Without further ado, my lovely readers, let's begin for all hell.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Wings of Flame Part 2**

 **Hazel**

"And then I was like: 'I put the _charm_ into Charmander!' Helios joked around with his fellow soldiers, eliciting laughter from all the troops in the mess hall. "And boom, he is hooked for life! Ain't that right, Thety?"

The Charmander nudged the mudkip's side.

"Dude, there was a _bit_ more to it than that!" Thetis laughed while eating some soup. "Y'know, being born a month apart, being lifelong friends and stuff."

"Details, details," Helios flicked his wrist and shrugged, snuggling up to his boyfriend on the bench. The mudkip blushed and cuddled into him. "What matters is that we're still together, eh?"

"Y-yeah, I guess," Thetis held his cheek while reading. "Still, that pun made me gag, dude, hehe."

I smiled at the duo as they shower each other some love. I looked at Matt, who leaned into me with a sleepy expression. He was clearly enjoying the two guys loving each other. He looked to me, then to them, almost envious.

I wrapped a paw around his body and held him close, winking at him. He blushed and looked away from me out of nerves. He was adorable.

"My bloody teeth are gonna rot, lads," I chuckled at the duo as they were mid smooch. "You're so bloody sweet it hurts."

"I try my best~" the Charmander winked at me.

"He really does," the mudkip added and shook his head. "I have to put up with him every day."

"Well, keep trying, you two are adorable~" I giggled and cuddled Matt. "Don't ya think so, Matty?"

"Yeah, I guess…" the riolu blushed and stared at his food while poking it with a spoon. "It's cute."

However, our conversation was caught short by an exploud soldier bursting through the door with a vigoroth buddy. The duo looked around before spotting us and running to us.

"LOOK ALOUD YOU TWO!" The exploud yelled in a tone that pierced our ears while pointing at Matt and I. "THE GENERAL NEEDS YOU IN THE MEETING HALL."

"Aye, and it's pretty urgent too," The vigoroth shuddered while taking a swig of a bottle. "Best no to keep 'er waiting, lass."

Matt and I looked at each other worryingly before getting up.

"Save our food, lads!" I shouted back as we all proceeded to the meeting room. Helios gave us a thumbs up.

* * *

The meeting room was tense and dark. Stood around the war table was Luxray, Ninetales and a group of other highly decorated military Pokemon. They all looked worried. In the lion's paw was a little Dedenne, crying his eyes out and explaining all he could to his leader.

"And they came in by the coast, out of the fog!" The little rodent cried and told his story. "They stormed us in the middle of the night and sacked everything! I only made it out because I'm so little!"

"And you _ran_ all the way here?" Brigadier Ninetales sadly asked, stoking the little mouse's head to comfort him. "You did the right thing, private. You should get some—"

"T-there's more, Sir!" He wiped his eyes. "Their armies are encroaching upon us, I heard their leaders say they'd be here tonight! A-and…"

The Dedenne stared distantly at the officers.

"I dunno how it's possible, but," the tiny electric type gulped. "They have Ho-oh...the _real_ Ho-oh…"

Ho-oh.

 _Ho-oh?!_

 _They had fucking Ho-oh?!_

The entire room was silent as he admitted as much, unable to even fathom how Starmie had even acquired Ho-oh. Regardless, it was _extremely_ bad news. I read Luxray's worried expression. Her eyes met with the fire fox.

"We should evacuate the troops," Luxray grimaced to her officers. "We could hold against the armies, but against Ho-oh, our walls are as good as pissing in the ocean against a foe like her."

"N-no!" Matt quickly piped up and climbed onto the table. Even with all eyes on him, he bravely continued. "S-so, this castle was the greatest military position of the human Lunar Republic! It was designed to withstand any and all attacks! Besides, Ho-oh can fly faster than we can evacuate!"

"I'm sure it wasn't designed with such flying threats in mind," Luxray scowled. "From what I'm aware, this was only designed for land defense."

"N-not true!" The riolu passionately explained. "In 967, the castle was modernised and rebuilt into a modern military base for the humans! If what I've read about is true, there's a stockpile of Anti-Aircraft weapons! I'm _certain_ that if we get one of those out, we can defend our position from any ground forces while keeping Ho-oh at bay with it!"

"And you know this, how?" The Ninetales stared at him quizzically.

"This book right here!" Matt quickly pulled out his book about military strategies. "I-I've done my research, sir. Here, this whole section is about the modern castle...if you still have the gun emplacement atop the keep, we're in business!"

"That old metal thing on the roof?" Ninetales stroked his chin. "That's a weapon?"

"Y-yes, exactly!" Matt gave an awkward smile. "I-if we have any shells for them-the annunciation that the gun takes, big gold thing about as big as me, then we'll have a fighting chance! One or two rounds should take Ho-oh down! Here, they look like this."

The riolu flipped through a few pages with his paw and showed the gaggle of Officers a diagram of the rounds. It was long and gold-colored with a very oblong shape.

"Check the storage area to see if we have any in store!" Luxray barked at a zoroark officer; who saluted her and quickly left. Her tone quickly softened as she placed the Dedenne on the table and stroked his head. "Get some rest, private. You need it. You stay in the castle during the assault, evacuate all the smallest Pokemon if worse comes to worst."

"Y-yes ma'am, thank you!"

"As for you two," The general looked at Matt and I. "Matthew, is it? I'm placing you on the battlements to command and shoot the weapon when it's available. You are to take the rank of Warrant Officer for this battle. I will place the sentries in your hands since you seem capable. Hazel. I want you to stay in your room until the assault is over."

"Y-you're placing me in charge?!" Matt gasped with wide eyes. "A-are you sure I can do this?!"

"I believe you can," the lion bluntly responded. "If not we have other officers, but we _need_ you on that gun, you seem to know much more about it than any of us here."

"You can do it, Matty," I gave him some reassurance. "I know you can."

"T-thanks…" He gulped. "I'll need someone to load the ammunition for me to make firing more smooth."

"Private Helios will join you on the gun, then. Remember. The battle _hinges_ upon this weapon," Luxray peered deeply into his eyes. "Is there anything else you need?"

"This might be a bit awkward, but…" Matt nodded and looked at the strange devices on the ceiling. "We need all the electric types on the castle's main generator to power some of the old defenses back up, namely the spotlights and the Anti-Aircraft guns...we can't win this battle as Pokemon, instead, we need to win it as the humans intended!"

"Ma'am!" The zoroark quickly burst in. "Ve found an old stockpile of zhese rounds, fourteen in total."

"Bring them up to the roof's gun, how long do you think we have before their armies approach the walls, private?"

The tiny mouse stuttered.

"I-it's sundown now…" he gulped and looked out a window. "They're going to be here soon after the sun sets...maybe three hours at most...if we're lucky."

"Might I add ve found a number of older human weapons in zhe storeroom?" The zoroark nodded. "No fewer than twenty of zhese ranged tools are in stock, your little military expert wouldn't know vhat zhese are, no?"

"I-I'll have a look at them now I guess…" Matt gulped and jumped down from the table.

Luxray stepped forward and sighed.

"Right. Preparation for the siege begins _now_ ," she scowled. there's little time to waste."

* * *

After discussing our battle strategies for the upcoming battle, Matt led me to my room along with the Lopunny, Heatmor and a new Bewear as bodyguards. I felt anxiety well up within me as I knew they'd lay down their lives to protect me if things went pear shaped. The trio stood outside while Matt and I entered. As soon as we were in private, we both started crying and hugging.

I knew because of his strategy and knowledge of this castle, he'd be put outside on the walls to lead the sentries. But I wanted him _here_ with me, in a relatively safe place.

"Please, Matty," I begged him and cupped his cheeks in my paws. He even held them meekly. Even as a duchess who was taught that falling in battle was the most glorious way to fall, I couldn't help but feel terrified about the fate of Matt. He was too precious and kind for this. "Be careful, for me…"

"H-Hazel…" the riolu sniffed and stared deeply into my eyes. He was just as afraid as I was, I could tell, but he gulped and swallowed his fear. "I will be...if I don't, then we might all... _die."_

I hissed at the mere thought of him falling in battle.

"I know...that bastard Starmie…" I scowled and held Matt close. This might have been our final hour. We might have never seen the sun rise in the morning again. And I couldn't even spend it with Matt. I let another tear fall as bells began to ring, signaling the battle was going to begin soon.

Matt gulped and stood up.

"This is it...if my strategy works, then hopefully we'll live to see tomorrow…" He rubbed his temples and sighed nervously. "This feels like a gamble, they have Ho-oh, these odds aren't looking very—"

As one last show of affection, to prove to him that I wanted us to live and enjoy another day, to show that life was precious and that he was worth it: I stood on my haunches and brought him into an embrace. I slowly pressed my lips into his, closing my eyes and holding him as close as I could. He was frozen, but returned it. I didn't notice or care how long it went on for. The fact that he returned it made my heart flutter. Everything we had been through played on loop in my head.

Two weeks at most we were together, and I liked it. The ups, the downs and everything in between. I wanted it to go on for longer, I didn't want to burn up in Starmie's wrath. But whatever the case. I wished this moment could have gone on forever. I felt... _love_ again. Love for someone that _wasn't_ family. I thought about his laugh, his smile. Matt truly was a remarkable Pokemon...human.

When we broke apart, we gazed into each other's eyes again and regretfully released each other from our arms.

"H-Hazel…" Matt gulped and stood tall and strong for me. I saw passion and love burn in his eyes. His ears twitched at the ringing of the bells. "My family always had a saying…"

"Oh?" I tilted my head at my best friend...more than best friend. "And that is?"

"A Wolfe never yields," He held his right hand out like a claw almost with the left over his wrist. He gently cupped my cheek and stroked it. "I'm honestly terrified...more than I can even imagine...but I need to be true to my family...and to _you."_

I smiled at this wave of bravery coming from Matt.

"Go on then…" I smiled with tears in my eyes. "Let's see the sunrise tomorrow, Matt...just you and me, luv…no Starmie, no Luxray... _maybe_ Thetis and Helios...but just us two, _together_."

"We will…" he held back tears and opened the door before looking back at me. "Hazel. I love you."

"I love you too, Matt."

* * *

 **Helios**

From atop the walls we could see Starmie's army: standing in tight formation about 2-3 miles away. They were. Rigid and still they stood, seemingly biding their time. They were likely waiting for their master and his secret weapon to arrive. In my hand I clenched an old human weapon Matt had instructed us to use. It was some kind of ranged device. A 'crossbow' as he called it. I had a pouch on my back full of the rounds it shot. 'Bolts,' as Matt called them.

Turned out that I was the best shot among us, so I was placed up here. Mostly bipedal Pokemon stood atop the walls with all kinds of ranged weapons. Bows, rocks etc. A thick aura of tension hung over all of us as we just watched Starmie's army. I looked back at the bailey, where the Brigadier was issuing orders to a large squad of _elite_ flying types.

"As soon as we get visuals on Ho-oh," The Ninetales ordered while pacing back and forth. "It is up to you all to scramble and keep her away from the sentries. If you fail, the sentries will all die, letting their armies in. We _can't_ let that happen. Golurk. I want you to lead the flock in this mission."

" **My pleasure, Sir,"** the colossal golem nodded and saluted. " **However, where is the general?"**

"The electric types and her are downstairs at the generator, riolu says that it'll take time to warm up. About forty minutes at most. We need that gun up and running ASAP. That will win us the battle. So also hold the line until our guns are on."

The fiery fox looked up at us.

"Sentries! As soon as the spotlights turn on, point them up to Ho-oh so Matt has a clear shot at her!"

I doubted that any weapon could bring her down so easily, but it was worth a shot, it was better than nothing. The bells rang repeatedly as we mounted any last-second defensive.

"Water types!" Matt emerged from the first gatehouse, wearing a Minutemon tabard with light armor underneath. In his hands he held a spear and shield for self defence. "How's that cauldron looking?"

"Still boiling!" Thetis shouted back while overseeing a huge metal cauldron that was boiling above an open flame that I started earlier. Humans sure had some unique tactics for holding their bases. "Give it a minute or two to fully boil!"

"Good work guys!" Matt shouted again with a nervous smile; peering off at the distant army with worried brown eyes. He knew war was just around the corner. The tall riolu walked over to me and grabbed my shoulders tightly. "Be careful, buddy."

I chuckled and loaded my crossbow by putting my foot down on a metallic loop for leverage as I pulled the string up with a satisfying click. Loading the bolt in, I held the bow tightly and securely.

"I can handle myself, Matt," I smirked and hugged him. "Even without fancy armor like yours."

The blue dog nodded nervously and hugged me back.

Suddenly, a tension arose in the air, thick and tangible as jelly. Above Starmie's army the clouds stirred. As if on cue, a drop of rain fell upon us, a rain that turned to drizzle ...then _to a storm._ An ear shattering screech sounded across the great plains around the castle, echoing for miles; so loud I had to cover my ears. After a brief silence, A fiery light swooped down from the heavens. Ho-oh.

All hell broke loose as soon as she appeared. The bells rung, people screamed and a great war cry was heard as the army began a charge toward the castle; a volley of rocks flying through the sky. Dear Arceus.

" _INCOMING!"_ Ninetales screeched." _FLYING TYPES, SCRAMBLE!"_

On command, our flock of flyers jumped up and took wing, meeting Ho-oh in a suicidal dance of aerial supremacy. The Walls shook as huge boulders pounded on it mercilessly. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, my tail burned as bright as the sun. This was _war_.

"Sentries!" Matt quickly piped up. "Here's the first wave! Do NOT let them get ladders up!"

I held my crossbow firmly, the stock pressed into my shoulder as they came into view. Matt held his spear high, waiting to issue a command.

"Ready!" The teenager yelled as we anticipated them. They got closer and closer. "Aim!" I pointed the 'sights' over an ursaring and gritted my teeth. Matt quickly pointed his spear down "NOW!"

The arrow was a bullseye hit in the centre of his stomach ring. I could see the overconfident perversion in his eyes disappear as blood poured from his wound and he was knocked off his feet. A rain of crossbow bolts flew down from the battlements and tore apart the first invading wave with little pokemon pushing through and hugging the wall. They fell into Matt's next trap.

Next to every archer was a pile of considerably sized rocks and boulders. I thought it was barbaric and backwards, a strategy too sophisticated for humans, but no, it was a legitimate strategy of their past. I lifted one of these huge rocks and simply dropped it off the wall onto an unsuspecting marowak. Not even its thick skull could protect it from _that._ I felt a bit sick that I was taking lives, however, I had heard reports of most of Starmie's goons being wanted criminals and mercenaries. No doubt the Pokemon I was downing today were scumbag murderers or rapists. Justice did always find a way.

" _They have archers!"_ The voice of an officer shouted. I noted the voice coming from an aegislash, trying his best to shield himself and his goons with King's Shield while falling back. " _Get out of their range of 60 yards!"_

I watched in satisfaction as most of the next wave hesitated to come closer, the groups of various Pokemon holding their shields up and backing away. Their overconfident war cries died down as they had realised how defended we were. Regardless, I managed to pick off a typhlosion as he tried to retreat. He fell down dead from my shot.

We were safe for the time being, though we needed to take cover from the occasional boulder launched by their siege weaponry. Despite the constant bombardments to the walls, they held strong and true. The humans sure knew how to make a strong castle. I breathed a sigh of relief, however, my heart stopped as Matt issued his next order.

"S-sentries!" His voice was full of panic and fear. "Incoming volley from Ho-oh!"

The legendary Phoenix swatted a pidgeot out of the sky and launched several huge fireballs in our general direction. I barely jumped off the wall into a lower section of the castle as the archer den I stood in just kind of exploded as the fireball hit. The force of the blast sent me off my feet and face first into the gravel path. I accumulated several scratches and bruises, but I was alive, thankfully. I was pulled up to my feet by a concerned riolu who began to soothe my wounds with his newfound healing ability. While they still bled, my injuries didn't hurt nearly as much.

I felt immense fear as I looked up at the section of battlements where my boyfriend was stationed. Simply thinking about him getting hurt was enough to make my stomach churn. I followed the immortal Phoenix with my eyes as she was about to rain hell upon the battlements. However, she was stopped dead in her tracks by Golurk thunder-punching her side while flying, which ruined her trajectory and plans. With a sigh of relief, I forced myself to run back up onto the ruined battlements; kicking down a ladder these bastards were already trying to set up to get in.

The singed smell of destruction burned my nostrils as I got back atop the walls. Nothing a fire type like myself couldn't handle. His armies had used this opportunity to push closer to the walls. I picked up a discarded piece of rubble and threw it down onto the army, clocking a mightyena square in the face. I guess I really _was_ a good shot!

My heart pounded in my chest when I saw Ho-oh and golurk dancing in the skies above the castle without a hint of elegance or mercy. The two clashed in a violent battle. Seeing as she was distracted, I continued my defence of the castle. However, before I could reload, a hawlucha jumped up onto the battlements and knocked me down to my feet, striking a flamboyant pose as he stood on my chest to keep me down.

He lifted his leg to stomp me out; an evil grin plastered on his smug face. His foot came down to me but I quickly and narrowly avoided it by tilting my head. With barely enough time before he did it again, I pulled out my last resort dagger tied under my armpit and slashed his knee with it, causing him to screech and stumble. I barely shoved him off myself and jumped to my feet. I was almost immediately met with a right hook to my stomach. I coughed and quickly examined the flying type. He seemed to be unarmed, likely to fly. I countered his next punch by coughing flame directly into his arm. He screamed as his feathers burned. Through my pain, I slashed his torso with my dagger and kicked him off the wall. He plummeted into the dark ground below.

I sighed and rubbed my face; sheathing my knife and continuing to reload, weary of any flying types that may have jumped up. I quickly reloaded and took aim with my bow, remembering Matt's words.

" _The crossbow is an extremely powerful anti-armor tool,"_ Matt echoed in my head, as did his demonstration. " _I suggest firing upon any steel type Pokemon that you may see. The less armored Pokemon attacking us, the better."_

With this knowledge in mind, I took aim upon a scizor that was ready to fly up. The bolt pierced his chest, causing him to clutch it and fall down dead. Up until just then, I had never seen a weapon pierce a steel type so beautifully. However, any enjoyment was swiftly drowned out by the water types calling for backup. I quickly reloaded and ran over to that section of the battlements, where a small coordinated flying type squad was attacking our water cauldron guys.

I jumped into the fray and immediately shot a skarmory that was assaulting a poor prinplup. The penguin sighed, thanked me and got back to the fight. I dumped my crossbow aside; unsheathing my dagger and engaged an attacking pidgeot. It pecked at my face and tried to slash me with its sharp talons. Suffering a light laceration to the chest, I winced in pain and breathed a hot stream of flame at the bird, burning it and causing it to screech. My chest had a nasty claw mark on it. With a snort, I slashed right back at the bird, stabbing it in the armpit. (wingpit?)

It fell from the air and got promptly thrown off the walls by one of our elites who had joined us up here, a Decidueye part of our most trained team. With expert reaction time, he quickly turned around and shot three arrows into a drifblim that was harassing the battlements with shadow ball. It promptly exploded.

"Crikey, talk about fireworks," He laughed but was quickly tackled by an unfezant. "Gyah!"

I couldn't help him right away as a noctowl knocked me down and pinned me. It held my knife hand down with a talon with the other on my throat, choking me to stop me from using flames. Dammit! I choked and struggled under its weight, failing to get it off me. I tightly closed my eyes to stop it from pecking those out.

In a panic, I quickly pulled out a crossbow bolt and stabbed it. It stumbled and was immediately hit by a pressurised stream of water hitting its face and knocking it off me. I gasped for air and held my throat, observing as Thetis bravely fought the owl Pokemon alone, weaving in and out of its attacks using his tiny frame. My mudkip partner then tackled the crippled bird off the battlements. He then turned to me and helped me up onto my feet.

"You doing ok there, Helios?" He concernedly asked, feeling my chest in a less romantic way than usual. I simply nodded to my boyfriend in response. "Doesn't look too deep…"

"You ok there, mates?!" Decidueye asked as he finished the already crippled unfezant on the ground with his bow. I gave him the thumbs up. "Pour the water! Here they come! They're at the gates!"

I panicked and saw them trying to bust down the entrance of the first gatehouse. In response, I quickly rushed over to the burning cauldron, the metal scalding hot on my hands. Just the way I liked it. With considerable strength, I tipped it over, unleashing a huge wave of boiling water into the horde below. I cringed as I heard screaming echo out from below, joined with rising steam from the attack. We were safe for now.

Not moments after I had that thought, did a rain of hell shower upon the walls from Ho-oh. The sheltered area we defended was annihilated. I was sent flying out, as was everyone else.I landed on the ground and fucked my arm up upon landing. I screeched as I saw the silhouette of Ho-oh circling the skies.

I could only hiss in pain as Matt ran to my side and began healing me. His healing powers seemed to grow stronger the more concerned he was.

"Y-yo…" I coughed. "S-stop using so much aura, you know that—"

"It drains my life, I know," He shuddered, glad he learned that fact about the aura recently. "But still, I want to help as best I can, I'm a warrant Officer now…"

Ugh, his heart was too big. He could get himself hurt.

His eyes widened somewhat as lights suddenly started flickering on; paired with a siren.

"Power's on!" Matt cried with a smile and lifted me into my feet, pointing to the top of the keep. "C'mon, the gun's ready for us! Let's move!"

I nodded and ran with him as fast as our little legs could carry us.

* * *

 **Sir Bisharp**

"What are they _doing_ over there?!" I scoffed while observing the battle from the sidelines with a scowl. "This castle should have _fallen_ by now!"

"In time, Gene, in time…" Aegislash sighed while we hid behind cover and just peppered the base with our catapults. This was the first war I had ever seen and it was so...ugh...I shivered due to the cold rain, fidgeting about in anticipation. I was a _warrior,_ I demanded a fight! "This was the strongest fortress of its time. They clearly know how to use it."

"So what's the plan?" I scowled, impatience welling up in my body. "Are we just going to _stand_ here?!"

" _Patience, Gene,"_ Aegislash scowled at me. "We should let Ho-oh do her thing. If the enemy is smart, they should—"

"Patience?!" I scoffed, watching as huge lights turned on in the castle and began illuminating our attacking army, dazzling them. My gut started to ache, a strange dread welling up in me. "If we don't act _now,_ the Minutemon will likely try something. I don't trust this at all."

I began watching as the spotlights were joined by an ear piercing sound. An alarm of sorts? Whatever the case, I needed to _act_ now. Disregarding his orders, I ran over to a catapult.

"Launch me as your next projectile or you'll regret every life decision you've made up until this moment!" I barked at the lowly larvitar that operated it. He gave me a terrified salute and took the rock out of the device. "Good. Launch me towards the battlements!"

"Are you insane, Gene?!" Aegislash roared at me before the launch. "Of all the reckless things I've seen in my—"

"I'm _more_ than capable of this task, Aegislash," I scowled. "Do not doubt me! Launch!"

Before Aegislash could even react, I was launched at max speeds towards the battlements of their vile fortress, my cape fluttering in the force of the wind. I felt only adrenaline as I flew. I'd laugh if the circumstances weren't as serious. I landed on a ruined part of the wall, skidding on the ground.

I immediately drew my sword and scanned my surroundings. I noticed that vile riolu running to one of the enterances of the keep. Bingo. I tried rushing over to him but got hit by a water type attack to the side. A mudkip. Trivial. I went in for a low sweep, but this fish avoided me and got a good water attack off on my knee, tripping me up. He followed it up with a stream of muddy water: shot directly into my eyes. It stung like all hell and temporarily blinded me. _Little bastard!_

I swung my sword wildly about in confusion. Unhonourable little shit knew how to fight dirty. If he was going to play this game, then I could too. I placed my arm on the other's forearm blade and slowly and painfully scraped them together, creating a horrid metal screech. Metal Sound. I heard the mudkip cringe at the sound I had made. I looked in the direction of the sound and kicked him, hard. He yelled in pain as he was likely sent back a bit. I rubbed the crap out of my eyes and saw him writhing on the floor. Good riddance.

I just left him there and continued on my path to victory and vengeance. I ran fast, subduing whatever came my way. I caught up to the riolu just as he was opening a door to the keep. To stop him from doing so, I threw a kunai just to the right of his hand. He jumped in fear and turned around, shock on his face. He recognised me almost _immediately._ Hmph. Good.

"Why, if it isn't that _runt_ who knocked me down by using dishonourable and disgusting tactics," I began approaching him, sword drawn, ready to take my revenge. His Charmander friend tried to step between us, but the riolu held him back and approached me. "Oh? A bit braver, are we? Not running for your life?"

"Y-yes…" he shivered and threw his spear away, unsheathing his own knife and pointing it at me as we began to circle each other. "I-I've learned since last time! I know how to use this thing! I learn from the best!"

"The best you say?" I smiled coldly while tilting my head. "I'm sorry, if it wasn't _me_ , then they weren't the _best."_

"W-we'll see, Bisharp!"

And in an instant, our blades clashed. He dodged under a swipe and slashed me. He was certainly improving. Unfortunately for him, the slash was ineffective. Armour and such. However, he also wore mail armour under his Minutemon tabard, so we were on a more even footing. Even if he was a smaller and faster target. He danced around me with considerable grace, though with occasional slop in the footwork. He learned somewhat. But what was he? A child with two years of experience compared to me, a warrior trained since age seven! Bah! He was horribly outclassed! And I was _not_ going to underestimate him, not _again._ I slashed at him, scratching his left arm. He screeched in pain as blood trickled down his arm. He held his arm with a hiss, but continued to fight me. So he _did_ have a spine in there. Good. All the more worthy for vengeance. I could see tears in his eyes from my injury.

We danced a dance of blades, exchanging light blows here and there. Though my armor deflected near anything he threw at me.

Even if I felt a tad uneasy about his massive type advantage over me, I felt respect that he did not use such filthy tactics as before. He bravely fought me one on one. It was respectable, even if he was hopelessly outmatched. I noted his Charmander ally notice something behind me, gasp, and run that way. I paid little attention to it as I had a battle to win.

"L-listen to me, Bisharp!" The mutt coughed as our blades met, thunder crackling in the distance. His adolescent voice cracked in fear. "We don't have to fight! You're an honorable warrior! You don't need to work for _him!"_

"Bah! What would _you_ know about my honour?!" Enraged, I hissed and kicked him down. Even as I did so, he stared at me with eyes missing animosity. "My honor and devotion to the Nakamura Clan, my clan is why I'm here, working for Starmie!"

I tried to strike him, but he quickly rolled out the way.

"Is this really the honourable thing to do?!" He stared at me with hurt eyes. He gestured to everything around us. Probably the war. "So many people are in pain and hurt! An honorable warrior would protect as many people as he or she could!"

He gave me a weak smile.

"Please, Bisharp," He reached out for me. "You can change, anyone can!"

I was silent and grabbed him by the neck. Anyone could…? Bah! Such nonsense spilling from his mouth! If he didn't want to fight, then so be it! I would strike him down for _dare_ thinking diplomacy was the—HNK?!

An immense pain filled my left knee, causing me to fall to my right. An extremely sharp metal... _thing_ jutted through my knee. I dropped the riolu in agony. He just held his neck and coughed hard.

"W-what…?!" I shrieked and tried to remove it. It wouldn't budge an inch. It was attached to a wooden pole. My leg...it was in _agony_. I couldn't hold them back, I started crying at this. It hurt so much...I was then struck from the rear by a fiery attack, knocking me down to my front. My back burned.

"Nobody hurts my friend or my boyfriend like that, asshole…" his Charmander friend hissed in my ear. " _Nobody."_

His tone was dark and ominous, even seeming to shock his riolu friend.

" _D-dishonourable cretin…"_ I hissed and reached for my backup sword. I swung it desperately at the charmander to put him down. " _You don't deserve to—!"_

Before I could strike him, though, the riolu quickly punched me to protect him. Because of the type disadvantage, I was sent hurtling back, slipping off the wall because of the rain. Before I fell, though, I felt my arm get grabbed tightly. Looking up, the riolu was holding be above the dark chasm.

"I-I'm not giving up on you!" The riolu cried, clearly struggling to hold me up. "Y-you're young, I think...I believe in you, just climb up!"

He…believed in me…? I looked up at him with teary eyes.

" _The Nakamura clan does not believe in mercy!"_ The lessons of my father echoed in my head. " _To accept mercy is worse than death itself!"_

I grimaced and punched his hand as hard as I could, causing him to drop me with a cry of pain and anguish. A part of me wanted his help, but I refused. I plummeted into the darkness below, accepting my fate.

My body violently slammed into the stone foundation of the castle. Bones cracked, armour dented. I practically bounced down the cliff in a cycle of sheer agony. It took a little while to finally stop falling. I hit the grassy ground hard, rolling onto my side, coughing blood up. I could feel life activity fleeing me. I stared at the twin moons, lucid and hardly alive. I let myself shed tears of pain.

I could almost...could almost feel the embrace of my mom...it had been so long since she passed. I smiled wistfully. I missed her so much. I wanted to see her again.

I looked weakly at my body. My entire right set of blades was completely missing and lodged into the ground. I even felt my forehead blade in pieces. They said there was no greater shame. It didn't matter anymore. I was about to die anyway. I shut my eyes and waited for death to embrace me.

…

"...Mom…?" I coughed with a smile, imagining the beautiful Bisharp she was. How old was I when she passed on? Five? Six? I didn't even know anymore. Didn't particularly care. I just wanted to be with her. "...I'm coming…wait for me…"

I shut my eyes and braced for the end to take me.

…

…

"— _vieve?!"_ A feminine voice called me. " _Gene—?!"_

"M-mom…?" I weakly stared up, still alive unfortunately, pain taking over. I felt someone cradling me, trying to heal me. I couldn't quite make it out. Squinting, I saw Sir Gardevoir holding me close, healing all my internal and external wounds. "Gabriel…"

My voice was weak, the taste of blood in my mouth. His pink eyes were full of worry.

"I'm not your bloody mother…" He held me with hands covered in blood. I could tell his cocky persona was gone. He stared at me with genuine worry, holding me on his lap with a hand on my back, his other arm healing my wounds carefully. "What happened?!"

"I...I fell...lost bad…" I coughed while struggling to stay awake. "J-just leave me... dishonor…"

"Shut your mouth!" He hissed and just...held me. "I'm getting you out of here…"

"How...how did you know my real name…?" I gasped and remembered what he said as I came to.

"I'm a _psychic_ type, learning is what I do, tsk," he threw my arm over his shoulder, his hands under my knees. "And besides, it's not very difficult to figure out you're a g—"

Before he could finish his sentence, one of the flares was shot into the sky. A retreat? But we were winning…

Whatever the case, it was not an accident. Gardevoir mimicked it and shot his flare up, pulling mine out too and firing it. Lastly, the fourth flare fired into the sky, signalling a full retreat. I was then lifted up by Gardevoir, who held me tightly while hugging the wall. Putting a barrier around us both and running.

"Not out of this yet…" Gardevoir shuddered and ran for his life...our lives. "Have to keep moving."

I held his body tightly while letting myself cry into his chest. I was in agony, unsure of how I was even alive. I wanted to die, but...gardevoir seemed to almost care for me…

As did the riolu.

* * *

 **Matt**

Sir Bisharp plummeted into the dark abyss below silently. I wish I could have helped him, but he refused. I held my arm and hissed in pain at the injury he gave me. My hand was coated in a thin layer of blood from that scratch. With a sigh, I picked up something the warrior had dropped along the way, his rainbow feather. It was gorgeous, but I didn't feel proud to have it. I shook my head at Helios and motioned him to follow. He held an injured Thetis in his arms.

As we ran through the keep, I was applying a gentle stream of healing on him. The candles that burned were nothing compared to the lightbulbs turning on one by one. The hum of power sounded throughout the building. I saw four flares shoot up into the sky.

"That ours?" Helios asked as we ran to the roof; acknowledging the flares.

"I don't think it is," Thetis added and jumped from Helios' arms. "Didn't hear anything about that in the plan…You ok, matt?"

"Huh?" My nose bled because of my overuse of the aura. "I-I'm fine...just aura...stuff…"

Alarms blared, people ran through the illuminated halls. It was a mess as we ascend higher and higher throughout the castle. One thing I noticed, however, was the lack of tremors or screams of battle. It was almost silent outside the castle. I kicked open the door to the top; where the AA gun awaited us. Tinkering with it was a flaafy.

"Fellas!" The sheep called to us and adjusted his goggles. "Gun's running for y'all! Got your ammo all ready for ya!"

"T-thanks!" I smiled and ran to the gunner's position. "Oh, uh…"

I looked at the controls and tilted my head.

"Helios! Get loading that thing! One at a time! The round end goes in first!"

"On it, Matt!"

The controls were quite simple, all things considered. A single joystick sat next to a radar screen. Looked almost like a video game controller. The radar was useful, but all the spotlights turning up to Ho-oh was extremely helpful. I turned the gun around a bit, cooing in the satisfaction that it wasn't jammed.

"Loaded!" Thetis called, helping load the gun.

"A-alright, firing first shot!" I called and took aim at Ho-oh. I slammed my fist down on the button, casing the gun to fire. The sound was near deafening as the shell casing was ejected. The shell flew and exploded a bit behind the Phoenix. "Damn it! Missed!"

"Loading second shell!" Helios called out.

I adjusted my aim and angle as Ho-oh seemed to catch on to what we were up to. She stopped raining hell upon our forces.

"Big girl's noticed us!" Flaafy commented. "Better get her down quick!"

Once I was confident in my aim, I shot off again. However, Ho-oh twirled away from the shot and began her attack run. The spotlights followed her closely and she was being peppered by attacks from our flying type battalions. Again I fired, and again I missed. Three rounds out of fourteen expended. _Damnit_! She was fast!

Fireballs hit the building like rain on a mountain. The storm only got worse as she grew ever closer. Even Helios' loading got more panicked as the legendary made her approach.

Again, she dodged the attack.

This was bad…

Life seemed to slow and distort as she got near. I felt the aura flowing around me. The world seemed to disappear, leaving only me, the gun and...not Ho-oh. Instead, her pilot. A purple starfish. _Starmie._

" _So...you must be the...interloper…"_ his voice was cold, ruthless and rigid. He looked directly at me through the aura or with psychic. " _I must say, you're not much."_

"W-why are you doing this…?" I shivered, finally seeing my enemy. "I haven't done anything to you!"

" _This isn't personal, human,"_ he bluntly spoke. " _This is just a formality."_

"I...I won't let you! You've hurt to many people!" I took aim again. "You won't get away with this!"

" _Such compassion,"_ Starmie cruelly laughed. " _As if some human toy can down a legendary Pokemon!"_

I felt my hand acting on its own, as if the aura guided me. I aimed the cannon ahead of where Ho-oh was flying, waiting for her to enter point blank range. I fired it, directly into her open beak. The heat caused it to just simply explode.

I was ejected from the aura as the explosion sent us all flying in different directions. From what I saw, Ho-oh plummeted down into one of the bailies, crashing into the ground with a notable sound. Was...was it over? I pushed myself up, noticing the lights and other electronics flickering. Smoke irritated my nose as it rose from all across the castle ground. Following all this was. Utter silence. The world was still, the storm seemed to die down.

"Is it over?" Thetis turned to me with a confused look.

"Sure sounds like it," I responded and bit my lip. "That was easy...too easy."

"Whatever it was," Helios coughed and looked over the side, seeing the huge crater Ho-oh created by crashing into it. A small army gathered around her as she was on the ground, clearly defeated. "We got her! Looks like his army hightailed it too! This looks like a win to me!"

"Good work, fellas," the flaafy sighed and began tinkering with the gun. "Best to tell the general about your victory."

Before we could even get to the door, though, I was taken into a tight hug from my eevee friend.

"Matty!" Hazel held me tight and kissed my cheek. We broke apart and stared into each other's eyes lovingly. "You did it~"

"It was close, though…" I shuddered as she nuzzled my cheek. "Just glad we're alive here…how're you, Hazelnut?"

"I'm alright, my darling Matty~" She cooed and held my cheek. I could only blush madly at this. "You look pretty hurt…"

"I-it's nothing," I was in pain, but refused to make her worry. "C'mon, let's just see the general…"

"Guessing we're not racing this time, huh?" Helios let out a fake half chuckle.

* * *

All the Minutemon had gathered around the crashed Ho-oh after all was said and done. She lay pitifully in a huge crater that was smoking. Even after being confirmed unconscious, something felt off. Horribly off.

"Yo!" Hazel's lopunny guard shouted while holding some strange device in his hands. "Looks like some kinda crazy mask she was wearing!"

"Never quite seen anything like it, mates…" The head archer, Decidueye commented. "Especially on a bloody legendary."

"Take it in and study it," Luxray ordered while just examining the situation. She turned to her right hand and spoke up. "Casualties?"

"Between seventy and one hundred, ma'am," Ninetales let out a bitter sigh, shaking his head.

"Damn it…" Luxray grimaced and turned to me, raising her brow. "Man of the hour,' as they'd say.

"Mission success, ma'am!" Helios gave an enthusiastic salute to the larger lion.

"What now…?" Hazel tilted her head and stared at the downed legendary with brown eyes full of concern.

"Reparations and recuperation, probably…" I sighed in exhaustion as Hazel held me tightly.

"What a day…" Thetis shuddered while leaning into his boyfriend.

"You've earned your rest," ninetales sighed and rubbed his temple. "We'll clean this up from here—"

Suddenly, a cruel laughter sounded. Cold and evil. Suddenly, a pink aura surrounded Lopunny and Decidueye. They were lifted from the ground and thrown into the nearby walls. Gasps and screams filled the area as the laugher was paired with an even worse storm forming from above the downed legendary.

"Do you think I'm _close_ to finished here…?" Starmie ominously hovered up from the crater, crackling with lightning. He looked down on in us with contempt. "How could you all be so hopelessly _deluded?"_

"Starmie?!" Hazel hissed with hate in her eyes, stepping forward and gritting her teeth. She launched a small vollies of shadow balls at him. He just shrugged them off with a barrier. "Where the bloody hell are my parents?!"

"Ah, dear Hazel Maria Rodrick Fox, fair Duchess of the Westlands, future heir of her house," Starmie cooed and just gazed at her. "The beauty and grace of your mother, but the tenacity and rough edges of your father. I had spent many a days debating what your fate was, I had simply assumed you were dead and had to trick your parents with a false you. I assure you, my dear, you will be with them soon enough. However, I'm more interested in your little...boyfriend there."

Using telekinesis, the starfish lifted me off the ground and up to me. No! I struggled in his psychic grasp to no avail. He pulled me close to him. My heart beat like nothing else as I gazed at my reflection in his gem.

"We meet at last, interloper, I'd say it's a pleasure," He spoke in a voice so inhuman that it scared me to my core. He spun me around to examine me. "But it has not been. Under these circumstances, you have been a…nuisance, to put it _lightly."_

"N-ngh!" I gasped while struggling my hardest. Most of the Minutemon forces had already started firing up at the cruel starfish, but he blocked their attacks casually with a psychic barrier. "W-what do you want from me…?"

"The Soul Moonstone," He gave a cold, methodical response. "Where is it?"

"S-Soul Moonstone…?" I tilted my head. What was he talking about? I searched my limited memories. I was fairly certain I didn't have a gem on me. Did this have to do with that Lunaii vision I had the other day…? "W-whats—?!"

" _Don't play dumb with me, child!"_ His grasp on me tightened, restricting my breathing. " _I know you have it, you were one of the few who escaped the destruction of the Solar Empire that day."_

I could only feel sheer confusion at what he was speaking about, it almost seemed random, but...he knew something about my past.

"Must I jog your memory?!" Starmie spat as his back rotor began spinning, his gemstone glowing like all hell. Bright colours shot into my eyes, dazzling, but hard to look away from. My mind felt numb and submissive as he began wracking through my subconscious. "Memories appear to be still unlocking, side effect of the soul transfer over hundreds of years.."

He spoke to himself almost _surgically_.

"All too typical of the Solar Empire's magic I suppose," He added. I felt memories trying to resurface in my mind as he was prodding around. His gemstone began showing fuzzy images like a broken tv, peaking my interest. "Let's see, let's see...childhood, no...school, no...hmm. Oh? What's this?"

All of a sudden, a more clear image appeared. I saw my own human hands clutching a small, sapphire. I then looked to my left to see my sister holding my arm tightly before looking forward. Holding my shoulders was an aged woman, blonde hair and wearing glasses. She looked _just_ like me.

 _Mom._

" _Go! The way is open!"_ My mom pointed behind me, grasping my shoulders with teary eyes. " _There's no time to waste! You have to go!"_

Stood next to her was a lucario who also looked like she was on the verge of tears. Lady? My arms seemed to embrace my mother closely.

" _B-but what about you?"_ I desperately cried and looked over her shoulder at a human soldier, on the ground, clearly deceased in this ruined stone room. My past self gazed behind me at a strange pulsating vortex. My sister stood by me, utterly silent.

" _We'll be alright, Matthew,"_ Mom gestured to herself and Lady. She then took both me and my sister into a tight embrace. " _Go, sweetie_. _She'll be watching you, you'll be alright...we'll stay behind and take care of James. Go, my shining stars. I'll always love you two. Goodbye, Matthew and Lucia. And good luck!"_

As my sister and I ran to the portal, my twin grabbed my hand tightly. I looked back one last time at my mom and Lady, who were both in tears. Was...was my sister in this world too?

"As you can see, _you_ had the gemstone," Starmie spoke viciously as the memory ended. "Where is it?!"

"I-I don't know!" I whimpered while struggling more, to little avail. "L-leave me alone!"

"Enough of your lies, boy!" He placed a vicious slap on my face, immediately bursting a lip and causing a nosebleed. "Tell me where it is, or your girlfriend's parents perish!"

He threw me to the floor, enraged. My legs cracked at the force. I grunted in pain and pushed myself up.

"I-I'm not afraid of your threats!" I hissed and pulled out my knife. Sensing a battle inbound, my friends joined my side as Starmie floated ominously above.

"That's a bloody bluff!" Hazel hissed and held me, standing defiantly against the starmie. "You're outnumbered here!"

"Best to turn around and run, asshole!" Helios chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're outmatched!"

"We have what you _don't,_ Starmie, friends!" Thetis added and joined us.

"Guys…" I smiled.

Thetis, a mudkip pal like none other, quiet but reliable, if a tad snappy. His bickering with Helios was always a charm. Helios, like a big brother to me, always smiling and always enjoying every moment. He gave me the biggest smile I could. Hadn't we both been taken, he'd definitely be my first choice. Lastly, Hazel, a love like none other. I was glad she was the first person in this crazy world I met. Cute, witty and intelligent. She was the light that guided me through the darkness and confusion, a real guardian angel. Where would I be without her? Dead probably. She was my everything at this moment. I glanced behind me at the Minutemon. Rough, but compassionate, they truly fought for what they believed in. I smiled despite the odds.

"Surrender, Starmie!" I shouted up at him with a wave of confidence, withdrawing my knife as all my friends braced themselves for battle. "You can't win!"

"Ngh…" Starmie had since landed and stepped back from us. "C-curses...I suppose surrendering is my only choice. You've won. Fair and square."

We just looked at him strangely. He was just...giving up…? SIlence hung over all of us, ad did the confusion. Just like that?"

"R-really?" I asked and tilted my head.

" _Of course not, fool!"_ From Starmie's body, an icy blast erupted, freezing the grass around him. His Attack suddenly hit everyone minus me, freezing them solid in blocks of ice. What the?! "Oho, not so confident now, are we, Mr Wolfe?"

He began walking towards me slowly, causing me to backpedal.

"G-guys…?" I waved at Hazel. She looked at me with a desperate expression in the block of ice. They were still awake… "Oh no no no…"

"Hah, do you _think_ I'd let you all pull such a stunt?" His walk became a jog towards me. "I'm _always_ five steps ahead...but, I'll go fair on you. I'll let you fight me, winner takes the gem. Loser dies. A simple gambit."

Before I could even respond, he launched a huge thunderbolt at me. I barely dived out of the way as it destroyed the wall it hit. Good lord! I weaved in and out of cover, avoiding bolts of sheer electricity aimed for me. The storm returned, but it was snow instead of rain, was he manipulating the weather?! A violent blizzard started, inhibiting my sight. I could barely see five feet in front of me. My breath hung in the air, my body shivering in fear and cold. Pain suddenly exploded in my shoulder as a flying icicle hit it. B-bastard…

"Just where am I, Interloper?" He taunted from the icy mist. From my left, a weak thunderbolt struck me. I stumbled as my body felt like static on a tv. "Could I be here?"

I turned to the direction hat attack came from, charging with my knife, only to be met with a pressurised blast of water from behind. I screeched in pain as I fell over, dropping my knife. What the hell was this guy?! Where was he?! I could only look on helplessly, trying to find his exact location.

"Or, could I be here?" His voice seemed to come from all around, impossible to find. I managed to block an incoming icicle with my forearm's natural armour. The ice shattered on the bone like it was nothing. "Oho, clever use of that."

He was toying with me, it was obvious...but...I didn't know what to do...I was standing alone against the storm, _his_ storm. I glanced to my left and cringed at seeing Thetis completely encased in ice. I promised I'd free them all…

I barely pushed myself up to my feet and stayed still, avoiding or taking anything he threw at me. I shivered. What was I even up against?! He attacked like he was all around me! He was the only one I saw, and I doubt he could asexually reproduce so quickly. There had to be something I was missing. I breathed in sharply and thought of my friends, causing a strange instinct to well up in me. I could feel the aura faintly. My book _did_ say it was our instinct. I observed an icicle and noted its location. Next I took note of the next one. Starmie seemed to be moving in a set path...he was circling me! I held my knife like a javelin, trying to predict where he was about to be. Instead of a winning throw, my knife flew out my hand on its own and lodged itself into the ground. Before I could even comprehend this, Starmie lunged from the fog and kicked me over, kicking me while I was down.

"Figured it out have we?!" He scoffed and picked me up with psychic. "You learn quickly. You almost remind me of myself."

"I-I'm nothing like you…" I choked while struggling for dear life.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right…" He looked down and slammed me into a wall hard. I screamed in agony as I felt my shoulder dislocate from its socket. He pulled me close to him and started crushing me with his power. I couldn't breath, I just started wheezing. I felt tears welling up as he stared coldly at me. "We may both have the ability to adapt in these circumstances, however... _I am the Ultimate Life, you are but a naive child-"_

All of a sudden, he choked as a dagger was forced through the arm that held me up, severing it completely. Behind him was Helios, covered in a layer of water. He must've thawed himself out! Yes! I smiled at this, only for it to fade as Starmie quickly turned himself around to confront the charmander. Helios tried to stab at Starmie's gem, only to be met with a point blank jet of water to his face. I tried to run over, but got hit by a stray thunderbolt from the enemy. Helios let out a blood curdling scream as Starmie disarmed him quickly and plunged his dagger into the charmander's stomach.

"HELIOS!" I cried as I saw blood trickling out of his mouth.

From the mist jumped Thetis, his eyes full of vengeful tears. Starmie threw Helios aside and got another arm bitten off by the mudkip before he could react. In retaliation, Starmie rotated his body to at least have one arm remaining on his side and picked Thetis up off the ground. All of a sudden, the mudkip's body glowed yellow from pure electricity getting pumped into him, frying my poor buddy. I began sobbing as Starmie started forcing me to the ground with psychic. I saw poor Hazel about to assault Starmie with a shadow ball, but was quickly knocked into the castle wall with a terrifying crunch by Starmie, who threw Thetis into her.

"You troublesome pests…" Starmie grunted and picked me up again, pulling me towards him. The battle was extremely brief, but it was obvious we lost. "I admit, I should have _expected_ your little colleagues to try such an attack. It was foolish of me not to do so. In saying so, though, they clearly put up more of a fight than _you,_ worm. You didn't even _touch_ me. I'll give you credit for figuring me out, though."

"No…" I cried lightly as I saw my three only friends in their states. Helios on his side in a small pool of his own blood, Thetis crawling desperately towards him. Hazel laying at the foot of the wall, all twisted with broken bones. I couldn't help but cry even more. I was ready to die. Life wasn't worth living without people like them. I'd do anything to save them...but it was too late.

…

I felt something all of a sudden, something sparked within me and all around me with my resolve. It felt like, the aura of the planet was listening to me. I didn't have a full grasp on what the aura even was, but...this felt strange, different almost. My hair stood on edge, the aura beckoning almost. It felt like it'd take me away to another world if it I let it. My heart thumped in my chest hard, my body seemed to know the end was near. I had visions of my brief time here. Meeting Hazel, exploring the city...my first kiss. It was a strange two weeks, and although I didn't find the answers I wanted, I felt like...I felt like if the aura took me, something good would happen. I relaxed, feeling my life force slowly fade and become one with the aura in some kind of final gambit.

Thetis...you were a fun and knowledgeable buddy. I wish I could've read with you more.

Helios. My best friend in this world, reliable and kind, someone I wish could be a big brother to me. Made me laugh when I thought I couldn't.

Hazel. The love of my life. Happy and full of life. Every second with her made my heart leap out of my chest. I wish I could have said so much more to her, but...I guess this was it. We didn't know each other for too long, but...I loved you with all my heart. If we stayed together longer...I would have spent my life as a Pokemon with you...

I felt a strange bliss as I closed my eyes and sighed. This was it I guessed. Would I see my family on the other side? I hoped so.

* * *

 **General POV**

Starmie dropped the limp body of Matt on the grass below, dumbfounded about how the riolu just seemingly died in his grasp despite noting very little fatal injuries. All he could recall was simply picking Matt up, his eyes glowing then just...dead. Starmie took a step back in utter confusion. The world was silent and still, the light chill of night washing over his body. Nothing stirred. Nothing sounded.

But even in such stillness, Starmie felt like something was wrong. Horribly wrong. He gazed all around him. On the floor was the Charmander he had stabbed in the stomach, still as a cadaver, mudkip crying by his side. The Eevee writhing in pain, several bones clearly broken, the Minutemon forces encased in unbreakable ice. Ho-oh, limp and in a small crater where she had crashed.

This should have been a victory. Starmie was the _Ultimate Life._ Never before has a victory felt so...eerie. Wind blew around Starmie. He felt minimal pain despite having several arms torn off. He sighed and turned to open the gates, but he heard something stir. It was the eevee.

He witnessed her stand up; an impossible task seeing as her spine was likely broken. Starmie froze and observed her limp over to the riolu weakly, shaking his side.

"Matthew…?" She waved at him. But his eyes just stared up. Dead. Glassy. He was gone. The brown fox made a horrific choking noise and shook him harder. "W-wake up, Matty! P-please!"

Her cries became a shriek as the gravity of the situation became clear to her. Starmie felt nothing and turned to walk away, she presented no threat. However, another body stirred. The mudkip. He gasped in shock as the Charmander stirred.

"Impossible…" Starmie grunted as he observed in a now growing horror. "He should be dead, I punctured his intestines!"

The lizard proceeded to push himself to his feet, pulling the knife out of his gut and dropped it. No blood followed it. The tissue seemed to _repair_ itself.

" _The aura?!"_ The starfish suddenly felt the life force of the planet surging up around everyone but him. " _He didn't...he manipulated the aura to heal everyone! It killed him as a result!"_

Starmie began walking back in horror as their injuries healed one by one, the only sound interrupting the silence being the cries of anguish from the eevee as she bawled into the riolu's chest. The ice the militia army was encased in began to thaw rapidly.

" _No…no!"_ An emotion Starmie failed to ever comprehend surged in his weakened body. Panic. His intact arms crackled with lightning as the mudkip and charmander looked over the corpse of their ally with tears in their eyes. They then turned to him, their expressions of sheer, unbridled rage. " _M-my plan was so perfect! I destroyed the interloper…but, why does this not feel like victory?! Where is the gem the prophecy promised?!"_

He walked back even further as his arms sparked, but failed to make anymore huge lightning attacks. Did they hurt him that badly?

He could only stare as panic consumed his body. One by one, his enemies thawed and got their bearings. On nearly every front, he was surrounded. The gates were shut. And as soon as they saw the riolu's body, they stared at him with murder in their eyes.

First to hit him was a huge fireball from the infuriated Charmander. Though at a type disadvantage, the flame was still excruciating. The fire burned stronger because of his emotional state. Next a jet of pressurised water struck him from the mudkip, knocking him off balance. He grunted in pain as it stung. He retaliated with a thunderbolt intended to execute the mudkip, but he was met by an even stronger thunderbolt thrown back at him by the Minutemon leader.

Her attack completely obliterated one of his two remaining arms. He screeched in pain as one last attack was dealt to him. His remaining arm was severed by the eevee, daughter of his most hated enemy, his most valuable asset, Lana Fox. She struck hard and fast with a knife retrieved from the interloper. In an instant, the sharpened blade severed his only arm. But she was not done, she plunged the blade straight into his gem. Huge cracks sprouted all across its glassy body and it began bleeding a dark pink substance. Starmie fell to his knees as she removed the knife.

"That was for Mummy, Dad," She scowled at the dying starfish, staring into the abyss of his gem. No soul or heart stared at her back. The eevee just looked at him with tear filled eyes. "And for my boyfriend."

She pulled back her blade to finish the deed, but a huge paw stopped her. The Luxray leader stared down at Starmie with a callous look.

"Hold on, your Grace," General Luxray released the fox nobility. She picked up the mostly dead Starmie up with one paw. "This _vermin_ could have some answers for us."

"...as if…" Starmie groaned in pain, looking up at her with sheer hatred. "As if I'd tell anything to heathens like _you_...you…" he choked weakly. "You only won...because of a deus ex machina…"

"Hmph, even in such a sorry state, your ego and self absorption is beyond comprehension," Luxray scoffed and shook her head, sneering when his gem juices leaked on her paw. "Your tenacity is certainly something though. Pity it came from such a delusional creature."

Luxray scoffed.

"You killed many good men tonight Starmie. What do you have to say about that?!" She roared and kicked him down with a growl.

"I did what I must...and I…" he couldn't comprehend how, but he had to admit. "...I failed...Just kill me and get this over and done with. I have no...ngh...time for mindless torture and other such nonsense. I a-assure you, I will not tell you a word of what you want…"

"Bloody coward, you are," The eevee spat at him. Clearly inherited from her mother. However, he was in no position to fight back or retaliate. He just took it, feeling utterly humiliated and defeated. "You only show up when you 'ave a super weapon...and when you lose, you _demand_ death!"

It looked like it took everything in her power not to break down.

"Where's my mum and dad?!" she growled lowly. "WHERE?!"

He remained tactically silent, causing everyone's mood to worsen.

The fox's brown eyes filled with tears as she walked over to and held her boyfriend's body, wailing as an audino medic tried his best to resuscitate him. To no avail. The charmander hugged her tightly and the mudkip just sobbed. Starmie felt no sympathy.

"We don't kill prisoners, Starmie," General Lionhardt shook her head and turned away, noticing that he was a complete and utter lost cause. Starmie shook in rage as she walked away from him. How _dare_ she. "It's not the Minutemon code of conduct."

"Cowards...you're not _fit_ for this world if you don't realise those weaker than you must be expunged!" Starmie screeched at her and desperately tried to attack, but he was in no condition to do so. All he could do was watch her leave him. Watch everyone turned their backs on him. No one even looked at him. " _DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!"_

Lionhardt turned and looked at him coldly.

"People as deluded as you, Starmie," She began with a distant stare. "Are the real ones that don't belong here. I feel sorry for you, this is the first time someone has said this to you. And only now, at the end of your life."

"E-end of my life…?" Starmie shuddered, feeling horror that he did so. "You said you _don't_ kill prisoners…"

"We don't," She turned again and walked away. "But Ho-oh probably doesn't care. And who are we to argue with her? After all, you _only_ enslaved her. Goodbye, Starmie."

From the crater she crashed in, Ho-oh stood and approached the violet starfish and gazed down at him coldly, tears in her eyes. Starmie just stared back. From her maw, a fire ignited:a fire so potent and hot Starmie could feel it from even ten metres away. The flame erupted from her beak and down to him. A truly sacred fire. He quickly put up a barrier to desperately protect himself. However, it immediately began to break under this Holy Flame. It burned so hot it was white, so bright it dimmed the world. He screeched as the barrier broke, subjecting him to thousands of degrees of concentrated vengeance. His scream went from bellowing to a high pitched scream of agony that echoed through the night.

But not for a second, did Starmie feel sympathy or regret.

 **End of Prologue Act.**

* * *

(AN) So, the chapter is over. I hope you all like it, if you have any questions about the powers seen here, worry not, these will be explained in the upcoming chapters~


End file.
